Mr. Beats on Logical Fallacies in Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro Podcast

Introduction

• Mr. Beats: Regular listener of Joe Rogan's and Ben Shapiro's podcasts.
• Excitement: Shapiro's appearance on Joe Rogan Experience, Episode #1512 (July 22, 2020).
• Observation: Episode filled with logical fallacies.

Logical Fallacies: Overview

• Definition: Errors in reasoning based on bad logic.
• Importance: Hurts ability to argue, makes us fall for weak arguments.
• Logic Definition: Reaching reasonable conclusions by adequately analyzing facts.
  • Example: Overspending leads to financial issues—logical solution is to save money.

Logical Fallacies in the Episode

Faulty Appeal to Authority Fallacy

• Definition: Using the opinion of an authority in place of an actual argument.
• Examples:
  • Shapiro on the humane methods of killing animals for kosher food.
  • Shapiro on the 1619 Project citing Pulitzer Prize-winning historians.

Either-Or (Black or White) Fallacy

• Definition: Asserting only two choices when more exist.
• Examples: Shapiro on the decline of Los Angeles.

Part to Whole (Composition/Division) Fallacy

• Definition: Assuming what's true for part is true for the whole.
• Example: Rogan on homelessness in Los Angeles.

Anecdotal Fallacy

• Definition: Using personal experience as evidence instead of valid arguments.
• Examples:
  • Rogan on his personal experiences in LA.
  • Shapiro's stories of seeing homeless people and drug use.

Loaded Question Fallacy

• Definition: A question asked with built-in assumptions.
• Example: Rogan on the slide of Los Angeles.

Texas Sharpshooter (Cherry Picking) Fallacy

• Definition: Cherry-picking data to suit an argument.
• Example: Shapiro on homelessness in LA focusing only on specific evidence.

Strawman Fallacy

• Definition: Misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack.
• Examples:
  • Shapiro on anti-racist authors.
  • Shapiro on the 1619 Project and its view on American history.

Tu quoque Fallacy

• Definition: Dismissing viewpoint due to opponent's inconsistency.
• Example: Criticizing capitalism critics for benefiting from it.

Whataboutism

• Definition: Answering criticism with criticism.
• Example: Comparing BLM protests and other protests.

Genetic Fallacy

• Definition: Judging something based on origin or who says it.
• Example: Associating Amazon's credibility with Jeff Bezos' political leanings.

No True Scotsman Fallacy

• Definition: Appeal to purity to dismiss criticisms.
• Examples:
  • Shapiro on decent humans supporting Chauvin during George Floyd incident.
  • Shapiro on true patriotic Americans' stance on Kaepernick.

Slippery Slope Fallacy

• Definition: Asserting that one action will lead to extreme consequences.
• Example: Defunding the police leading to no police.

False Cause Fallacy

• Definition: Assuming a real or perceived relationship means one caused the other.
• Example: Linking crime increase directly to police defunding.

Appeal to Fear Fallacy

• Definition: Creating support by increasing fear toward an alternative.
• Example: Claiming chaos if police are defunded.

Apples and Oranges Fallacy (False Equivalence)

• Definition: Comparing two unrelated things to appear logically equivalent.
• Example: Comparing George Floyd protests to anti-mask protests.

Appeal to Pity Fallacy

• Definition: Making someone do/believe something because we pity them.
• Example: Shapiro on COVID patients not being visited by family.

Hasty Generalization

• Definition: Generalizing based on small or poor sample.
• Examples:
  • Media's portrayal of protests.
  • Shapiro and Rogan generalize about the media's stance.

Personal Incredulity Fallacy

• Definition: Rejecting something because it's difficult to understand.
• Example: Shapiro and Rogan on courthouse attacks and riots.

Middle Ground Fallacy

• Definition: Assuming the middle point between two extremes is true.
• Example: Rogan on societal issues lying in the middle ground.

Begging the Question Fallacy

• Definition: Circular argument where conclusion is in the premise.
• Example: Shapiro on ending violence by not being violent.

Argument from Ignorance Fallacy

• Definition: Assuming something is true/false because it hasn’t been proven false/true.
• Example: Shapiro on personal agency's impact on violence.

Bandwagon Fallacy

• Definition: Assuming something is true because it's popular.
• Examples:
  • Rogan on bad ideas being fun.
  • Shapiro on community influences.

Ad Hominem Fallacy

• Definition: Attacking opponent's character or personal traits instead of argument.
• Example: Shapiro on Colin Kaepernick's character and actions.

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy

• Definition: Arguing something is good because it’s traditional.
• Example: Argue that flag protest methods are invalid because they deviate from tradition.

Appeal to Nature Fallacy

• Definition: Arguing something is good because it is natural.
• Example: Comparing plants from nature to be inherently safe.

Fallacy Fallacy

• Definition: Assuming a claim is false because it was argued poorly.
• Example: Dismissing Kaepernick's argument because of his method.

Special Pleading Fallacy

• Definition: Creating exceptions when a claim is proven false.
• Example: Shapiro qualifying Kaepernick's stance after being proven wrong.

Conclusion

• Recap: Highlighted numerous logical fallacies used by Rogan and Shapiro in the podcast.
• Reflection: Even intelligent, entertaining individuals can frequently use logical fallacies.
• Personal Note: Acknowledging own mistakes and encouraging viewers to join in the quest to avoid logical fallacies.
• Seminar Announcement: Offering a virtual seminar on spotting logical fallacies. Interactive portion and Q&A.
• Book Recommendation: Referenced a book as an inspiration for the video.