In critical thinking, reasoning and rhetoric there is something known as a ‘Fallacy’. Simply put, a fallacy is a fault in reasoning that on the surface makes sense (logical) but in principle wrong. In our daily reasoning many of us fall victim of fallacies innocently.
Public speakers and propagandists of particular institutions are trained in the art of using these fallacies to influence public perception and belief. Fallacies are very difficult to identify and one either needs the grace of God or a training to identify how fallacious one’s reasoning is, otherwise the experts use these fallacies to take advantage. Let me share an example here.
AD HOMINEM (moral authority) & AD MISERICORDIAM (sympathy vote)
NRM (the incumbent party) politically took advantage of COVID-19 situation and their candidate has faithfully observed the SOPs and he has done this in reference to other candidates. What the incumbent is doing here is almost an ad hominem (appeal to moral authority)…because NRM is afraid of the masses the excited opposition may attract in a normal rally in comparison to the numbers the incumbent might attract, COVID-19 is a new campaign gimmick for them.
Surprisingly, the opposition also has applied another fallacy known as Argumentum Ad Misericordiam (appeal to Pity) and it has done it through defying the SOPs and the police beating them up before the cameras of journalists.
While the NRM candidate is obeying the SOPs politically to avoid the embarrassment he might suffer given his masses in contrast to those on the other side, the opposition intentionally defies the known SOPs and once the police enforces the same. The opposition play the victim and in the process the opposition plays a sympathy card (fallacy) on the citizen voters at the same time it plays an ad hominem on the police institution presenting it as morally wrong.
ARGUMENTUM AD POPULUM
After the NRM has hidden its politics in the COVID-19 pandemic, and the opposition used the same to blackmail the incumbent, the key argument of the NRM is COVID-19 is a reality and it kills.
NRM is right and yes COVID-19 is here and killing people. It is at this point that the opposition launches an interesting argument that I would like us to look at and see how fallacies are difficult to note in a casual talk even.
According to the electoral commission and the government of Uganda all rallies must have a number not exceeding 200 people, with masks and social distancing observed…this is so to avoid masses where chances of COVID-19 spreading are very high. While this is so for political masses, it is not so for market masses, arcade masses etc. The opposition asks, is COVID-19 only spreading in political rallies and not in other masses elsewhere?
Why is the police not beating other masses to disperse as it does with political rallies? Now by this kind of reasoning the opposition has applied another fallacy known as Argumentum ad Populum (if others are doing it, so i/we should as well) the English translation is Bandwagon thinking and doing. It is this kind of reasoning that the media uses to influence the public, it is an appeal to popularity, public opinion and the majority.
To say that many people believe and are doing something contrary to what has been established as right, is not proof that what they are doing is true and right and what ought to be done. So just because COVID-19 is spread in markets doesn’t license its spread in political rallies as well.
Besides this political angle, there are many people who dress, build, drive, eat etc just because the majority is doing so…this is this fallacy at work on one’s belief system.
Please take some time to study logical fallacies they will help your reasoning and protect you from dangerous propaganda.
Priest M.I.T White
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24)
Questioning to Believe, Believing to Live
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 