Kendice Marshall
Introduction to Critical Thinking 100
Professor Ewa Barnes
3rd November 2023
Conversation 7
The fallacy I chose is the false analogy. A false analogy is when an argument makes a comparison between two things that are not sufficiently similar, leading to a misleading conclusion. The fallacy happens when the differences between two subjects outweigh their similarities, making the analogy invalid and the conclusion unwarranted.
An example is “Claiming that studying for exams is as easy as playing video games is like saying climbing a mountain is the same as walking on a treadmill. After all, both involve physical activity.” In this example, the false analogy occurs when the speaker equates studying for exams with playing video games based on the common factor of activities that people engage in. However, the analogy breaks down because the differences between studying and playing video games (such as mental effort, purpose, and outcome) are substantial. The comparison between climbing a mountain and walking on a treadmill is introduced to highlight the flawed reasoning—just as the second comparison lacks validity due to significant differences, so does the initial analogy between studying and playing video games. The false analogy misleads by suggesting a similarity that doesn’t hold upon closer examination, making the conclusion that studying is as easy as playing video games unjustified.
