Logical Fallacies - All Day Every Day

Hello!

               So today is Sunday, and I’m supposed to be starting my 1200 words of blogging for this week. Well, I suppose I’m supposed to be finishing them, but we’re going to throw an argument from tradition out there and say that it’s now a trend for me to both begin and end my blogging for the week on a Sunday. Anyways, as I sat down at my little laptop to do my writing, I realized that I have absolutely nothing to blog about. So instead of ranting about my life, or making lists of things I dislike, or talking about the weather, or whatever else it is I do when I don’t have “real” topics to talk about, I’m going to talk about school.

               Madness, you say? Yes, this is madness – or is it Sparta? I never talk about school, because I figure those people that actually read this blog are going to be students in either my AP Language and Composition class or the students from our neighboring classrooms. Therefore, repeating information that I get from the classroom would be both boring and redundant. Regardless, I’m going to talk about some logical fallacies, because I thought that they were pretty interesting, and I definitely use them enough in everyday life without realizing it.

               There are a lot of fallacies that we’ve learned about in our class, but a lot of them are really just common sense. I mean, when you hear a slippery slope argument, it’s pretty obvious. “If you have sex you will get pregnant and you will die.” Definitely a legitimate argument right there. Another fallacy that seems like common sense is post hoc.  It says that since ‘A’ occurs before ‘B,’ ‘A’ is also the cause of ‘B.’ An example of this is “I ate a cheeseburger. Then my house exploded, my cat died, and my girlfriend left me. I will never eat a cheeseburger again because it must have caused all of these terrible things.” These are some pretty obvious logical fallacies that most people can spot right away.

               A lot of fallacies get used in conversation every day that my eyes have recently been opened to. One common example of this that I see is argument from tradition. This means that since ‘A’ happens frequently, it must be good and should continue to happen. You hear this all the time from us teenagers. For example, “I haven’t done my homework at all this week and nothing’s happened to me yet. I should probably continue to not do my homework.” That’s a more obvious example of the fallacy, but here’s one that I’ve actually seen used: “We’ve always had the dance in the cafeteria before, having it in the gym would be a bad idea.” Something else that we see a lot during election season is a combination of “straw man” and “argument ad hominem.” The fallacy “straw man” is a rhetorical device that draws the attention away from the topic at hand. For example, when a politician is asked a question about his future policies on the economy and he responds with a long-winded story about his time in the Army.  The argument ad hominem fallacy means “argument to the man.” That’s when you attack your opponents character during a debate, instead of what he actually says. So during debates between politicians the two people might be talking about economy when politician ‘A’ attacks ‘B’ by saying “Oh, but during high school you smoked marijuana, and you cheated on your first wife!”  That’s not a valid argument.

               So that’s just a few examples of some logical fallacies that we see a lot in our everyday lives. Honestly, I was pretty surprised by a few of them that we learned about. They’re things that you see all the time, and I guess I didn’t think that they were really fallacies. I guess I’ll still probably use them when I talk, but only because it’s a habit. I mean, I’ve used them this far and nothing’s gone wrong for me, so they must be okay. Totally not an appeal to tradition there. It’s interesting though, just try and go an entire day being really conscious of the arguments that you and your friends make, and see if you can point out some logical fallacies in them. You might find that you make more than you’d think.

Thanks for reading

Matt Finley

Thinking About Yourself

Hello!

               So today’s kind of a weird day for me. I’m used to doing these blogs in a rush because I’m also trying to complete all my other homework. But not today! I’m taking my time, and since I’m not doing much I get to think about a whole variety of weird stuff. For example, if you had one thing that you could do that would have no negative repercussions, what would it be? For me, it could be a variety of things. If it was instant, for example, I’d wish for a cure to cancer. That’d be awesome for several reasons. It’d be helping people, which is something that I find pretty legit. Next, it’d probably make me very, very rich. Like, pony-made-of-diamonds rich. That’d be a pretty legit pony. And because there are no negatives to my cure for cancer there wouldn’t be a zombie apocalypse, such as the one seen in “I Am Legend.” No one likes zombies, so I’d consider that a bonus. But in all honesty, if I had to work for it, I’d leave finding the cure to someone else. I have other things in mind than becoming a doctor.

               The important part about this little anecdote of mine is that I found out a lot about myself, just thinking about a simple little question like that. So maybe if you take a chill pill, sit down and just think on it, you’ll discover something that you didn’t know about yourself. Like your absolute infatuation with the idea of a pony made out of diamonds. That would be the best pony in the world.  Like, ever, man. See you next time.           

Xmas

Hello!

               So today is the 23^rd of December, and we’re all counting down the days until Christmas. Well, all of us except our Jewish friends are. And I suppose all of the other people that don’t celebrate Christmas. So I guess I have to say that a select few people are counting down the days until Christmas. That really just puts a damper on my whole thought process. I’ll just blunder on into the actual topic of discussion.

As Christmas approaches I am both excited and appalled, each in equal amounts. On the one side, ‘tis the season and all that. On the other, we have capitalism to the point where it’s almost sickening.

This holiday season might be the worst I’ve ever seen, or maybe I’m just now old enough to realize how different it is from what it “should be.” The season is no longer driven by the “spirit of giving.” It is no longer enough to simply be with your family and enjoy it, we’re also expected to give everyone gifts, and this is driven home by the wonderfully large amount of sales that stores have when the snows start to fall. These sales just encourage us to buy more, too. These large retail stores pump us for cash so hard during this season that it has become more than 30%  more profitable than all the other seasons combined. That’s kind of gross.

So during this season, I challenge all of the readers of this blog post to do a few things. Firstly, don’t fall into this giant pit of despair that is the over-capitalized American society. By all means, buy your family presents, I certainly will. But don’t go out and buy everything that’s on sale. You’re just feeding the corporations. I’m also not encouraging you to set stuff on fire, start any fight clubs, or blow up a credit card company. If you got the “Fight Club” reference, you deserve a high five. Now go pick a fight with a random person on the street, and lose. The second thing that you should do this season is enjoy your family. You don’t got ‘em forever, folks. So enjoy them while they last. Get off your computer and go spend time with your mother/father/grandfather/uncle/cousin/second cousin/other relations. It’ll make their day (possibly, unless you’re a major dick.) and you’ll be doing something nice. So go out and have fun. Aw yayuh.

Post-Apocalypse

Hello!

               Up until a few days ago everyone was talking about the newest upcoming event. Unfortunately it wasn’t some awesome party or stupid school dance or anything like that, but it was the end of the world. Some Mayan dude way back when either died or decided that someone else could finish his calendar, so he put down his chisel and went  out to party with his friends. This meant that he got to have fun, but it meant that we also have to deal with it now, with long-bearded people wearing cardboard “The End Draws Near” signs wherever they go. It does bring up a few interesting points, though.

               Firstly, if the world was going to end, how would you spend your last few days/hours/minutes? Would you suddenly find God if you hadn’t already? Would you spend the rest of your earthly minutes in the arms of family and friends or would you spend it doing those things you’d always wished you’d done? Personally, if I was actually convinced that the end of the world was coming I’d probably do a mixture of all these things. I’d spend some time in the arms of the people I love, because in my opinion family matters more than most things (No matter how dysfunctional your family may be). But I’d also probably loot, break stuff, and engage in all other possible forms of debauchery. I mean, why not? Mankind loves to break things, it’s in our nature. So I’ll succumb to the animal side of that nature for a while and beat the snot out of something with a sledgehammer.

               Secondly, if the world was sure to end, would you regret anything? It sucks to live with regrets, but to die with them would be even worse, in my opinion. To never have made peace with the ghosts in your past, or the skeletons in your closet seems like a waste to me. So would I live with regrets? Probably. I would regret that I wasn’t the best son I could be. I would regret that I wasn’t the best friend, and that I could have done better. I would regret the time I wasted, no matter how much fun I had. I would regret not being able to serve my country, and to help people from other countries. I would regret my inability to say I fathered a family and went to all my son/daughter’s school functions, etc. To be honest, there’s not too much I’ve done in my sixteen years that I’d constitute as living a full life. So I guess I’d regret that too.

               Alas, it’s the 23^rd and the world hasn’t ended yet. We didn’t all die in some fiery holocaust, we’re still here. I still get to live my life, and I think everyone should take that to heart. Although we were never in any real danger, maybe reflecting on what you’ve done and what you still have to do would make you a tad bit better as a person. At the very least, go hug your mother/father/sister/brother/other sibling. I’m sure they’d appreciate it. At any rate, bad news Mayans, but maybe next year.

Connecticut Shooting

Hello!

               A few days ago our nation as devastated by a shooting that occurred in a Connecticut elementary school, where children and adults were gunned down in cold blood. This is terrible to begin with, but then has been made worse. In an interview with the press, a father of one of the deceased children broke down crying. This is natural, and should have been expected. But you could hear in the background the sudden rush to take pictures, and the clicking of cameras became easily audible. This disgusts me. I mean, I know it’s all for “a good story.” But step into the shoes of that man for a moment. Your child’s dead. You’re being interviewed in front of hundreds of people, and you lose control of your emotions. You shouldn’t have to be subjected to having your every tear reported the next day. It’s just sick. To all of the families devastated by this event, you have my deepest sympathies.

Thanks for reading

Matt Finley

The Hobbit Results

Hello!

               So a few days ago I was talking about my plans to go to The Hobbit’s midnight release. I did end up going, and had some points that I wanted to talk about. 

               First, the “pro” parts. I have always enjoyed going to the midnight releases of movies, because it’s just so much more fun. Firstly, you get to stay up all night, and for those of us who are teenagers, that’s pretty legit. Secondly, you get to hang out with your friends that are going to the midnight release. Thirdly, you get to hang out with all of the cool, nerdy people that are fans enough of a certain movie/franchise that they’ll show up to the midnight release (Example: Guy who was dressed up in full chainmail for this particular release of The Hobbit.). Now some things about this specific release that I liked was the lack of a line. At the theater I went to they didn’t have people line up, they just sent them directly into the theater. This was really nice, because since they sold out three showings of the film, I didn’t have to wait in line with close to 500 other people.

               Those are just the things that I really enjoy about midnight releases in general, plus a few things about The Hobbit’s. But the movie itself was pretty good as well. I won’t spoil too much of it, but I’m going to make a big point of giving a big thumbs up to the soundtrack.  The soundtrack for the Lord of the Rings trilogy was high and brassy. It fit the movies very well, though. There was a lot of action and it was intended to be very epic, and you’d really have to watch the movies to get what I’m trying to say. Now since The Hobbit was produced by the same dude that did the LotR trilogy, I assumed the soundtrack would be the same, or at least very similar. My mind was blown when I heard the main theme for the movie. It fits way better than the trilogy’s would have. It’s more low and throaty than the trilogy’s, as well. To hear it, look up the trailer on Youtube, and watch through the whole thing. All-around, it was a pretty good movie as a whole, although I did have a few complaints about it.

               One of my complaints would have to be the length. I mean, I really do not want to sit through a three hour movie, even though it’s The Hobbit. A lot of the stuff could have been condensed or left out, as well. And another gripe about it is that this is the first of at least two, but possibly three movies. Because they would all be about the same length, it seems like they’re just milking this cow for as much as it’s worth, instead of putting real effort into it. I mean, the Lord of the Rings books were two or three times the size of The Hobbit, and there were three of them. Another complaint of mine is that they didn’t adapt to the growth of the audience very well. Although the book was written for children, the kids that read it “back in the day” are now in their late teens or early twenties. So this movie seems to be tooled more towards younger kids, with many elements of it that are far more fanciful than the trilogy films.

               Aside from these few complaints, though, The Hobbit was definitely a two-thumbs-up movie. I really enjoyed it for the most part, and will probably see it again on the big screen. To those of you who are unsure of whether you want to see it or not, I’d definitely recommend it.

Thanks for reading

Matt Finley

Prepare Yourself - The Hobbit is Coming

Hello!

                So today, I’m sitting here at approximately 2 o’clock in the afternoon, typing this in my AP Language and Composition class. In a little under ten hours I’m going to be taking my seat at something I’ve waited for all year, and then some. “The Hobbit” is coming out tonight! Aw yeah! Sorry for nerding out a little there. Very similar to hulking out, but I actually lose 30 pounds, develop bad eyesight, talk in a squeaky voice, and start loving Captain Picard of “Star Trek.”

                My love for the Lord of the Rings series probably developed when I was just a wee lad. I vividly remember when I was sick at some point when I was in kindergarten, and my mother read to me from “The Hobbit.” This got the ball rolling for not just the Lord of the Rings series, but epic fantasy in general. I’ve been a fan of that particular genre for as long as I can remember, and have probably read too many books in that genre. It’s okay, though, if America ever falls back into the dark ages I’m prepared.

                The first time I watched the Lord of the Rings movies was with my brother, and it was the most epic nerdapalooza I’ve ever taken part in. Watching from start to finish, all three movies, with not only the director’s cut, but the EXTENDED director’s cut, takes approximately 13 hours. It’s honestly one of the best times I can remember having with my brother. So much pizza was eaten, and so much Mountain Dew was drunk on that day. There was so much sword fighting and other such epicness that my eyes hurt from pure awesomeness (Or maybe that was the thirteen hours of staring at a TV screen).

                So, in short, I’m explaining my hopes for the night. I’ve had high hopes for this movie for a while, and hope that it works out for the best. Even if it is the worst, most awful, epitome-of-terrible movie in the world, though, there will still be some sense of camaraderie, I’m sure. I have to give a shout-out to all of the other nerds out there, some whose level of geekiness far surpasses my own. Yes, I’m talking about those people who are camped outside of the movie theaters right now, so they can get the /PERFECT/ spot to watch the movie tonight. In any case, it’ll be fun. I hope. I’ll probably get back to y’all at some point. (Most likely Sunday night when I write the rest of my blogs, scrambling to find a topic.)

Thanks for reading,

Matt Finley