Lesson-5-Love-is-a-Fallacy

LessonFiveLoveisaFallacyMaxShulmanⅠ.BackgroundInformation1.Abouttheauthor(1919-1988)MaxShulman,anovelist,playwrightandhumoristwhocreatedtheDobieGillischaracterandsteeredhimthroughfourseasonsonprime-timetelevision,diedofbonecancerathishomeinLosAngeles.Hewas69yearsold.MaxShulmanandhisfamilyThemanylovesofdobiegillisLoveisaFallacyLoveisaFallacy2.JohnRuskin(1819-1900),Britishwriter,artcriticandsocialtheorist.Heconsideredagreatpaintingtobeonethatconveysgreatideastotheviewer.Duringthemid-19thcenturyBuskinwasthevirtualdictatorofartisticopinioninEngland,buthehasbeentreatedharshlyby20thcenturycritics.HisworksincludeModernPainters(1843-1860),TheSevenLampsofArchitecture(1849),SesameandLilies(1865),TheCrownofWildOlive(1866),TimeandTide(1867),andForsClovigera(8vols,1871-1884).JohnRuskininhisstudy3.逻辑谬误:逻辑论证，即提出支持某些论题或结论的论据。论据由两部分组成：论点所支持的结论与引证结论的某些前提。而结论是经由前提所推导出来的。当前提为结论提供确凿论据时，论据的演绎推理便有效；反之则会成为谬误。成为谬误的方式有三种：①内容，即事实陈述错误；②措词，即术语使用错误；③结构（或形式），即推导过程错误。那么，逻辑错误可分为三类，即内容（material)谬误，措词（verbal）谬误以及形式(formal)谬误。本文所论及的谬误属于第一类，即内容谬误，具体包括：①绝对判断（dictosimpliciter），即将普遍规则运用于有特殊情况发生的个别情形之中；②草率结论(hastygeneralization)，即由个别情形来推导普遍规则；③无关结论(falseanalogy)，即结论与前提并无关联，具体包括：a个人攻击(poisoningthewell或adhominem)，b寻求同情(admisericordiam)；④循环论证(thefallacyofcircularargumentor“beggingthequestion”)，即假设前提，但并不推导结论；⑤错误因果(posthocergopropterhoc)，即导致某一现象的原因仅仅停留在表面上；⑥问题过多(thefallacyofmanyquestionsconsistsindemandingasingleanswer)，即给单一回答有多种答案的问题；⑦不合逻辑的推论（thefallacyofnonsequitur“itdoesnotfollow”），即前提和结论缺少关联，推理无效。Ⅱ.AbriefoverviewofthetextGeneralintroductiontothetextThistextisapieceofnarrativewriting,astory.Thenarratorofthestory,DobieGillis,aself-conceitedfreshmaninalawschool,istheheroorprotagonist.Hestrugglesagainsttwoantagonists:PeteyBurch,hisroommatewhosegirlfriendheplanstosteal,andPollyEspy,thegirlheintendstomarryaftersuitablere-education.Petey,afaddist,iseagerforaraccooncoat,andhedecidestoexchangehisgirlfriendPeteyforitwithDobie.DobiehasaffectionforPollyforlongoutofpracticalconsideration.DumbasPollyis,Shehasthemakingstobecomeasuitablewifeofalawyer.Inordertosmartenherup,Dobiedecidestogiveheracourseinlogic.Heteachesherhowtorecognizethecommonfallaciesoflogic.HesucceedstoowellbecausethewholethingbackfiresonhimwhenPollyrefutesallhisargumentsaslogicalfallaciesbeforefinallyrejectinghim.IndesperationDobiearguesthat“thethingsyoulearninschooldon’thaveanythingtodoinlife”.TheappealdoesnotmovePollybecauseDobiedoesnotownaraccooncoatasPeteyBurchdoes.Theclimaxofthestoryisreachedinparas147-150whenPollyrefusestogosteadywiththenarratorbecauseshehadpromisedtogosteadywithPeteyBurch.Thecodafollowsrapidlyendsonaveryironicnote.Ⅲ.DetailedstudyofthetextImplicationofthetitle—LoveisaFallacy:Paras.1-3:Author’snotePara.1:Charleslamb’spersonalityandwritingstyle,andthisessay’sstyleCharlesLambisaverymerryandenterprisingperson.You’llmeetsuchapersononlyafteralongtime.Hewrotetheessays,OldChinaandDream’sChildren,whichsetfreetheinformalessay.But,theinformalessaythatfollowshereisfreerthantheoneCharlesLambwrote.Metaphor:He…withhisessaysOldChinaandDream’sChildren,unfetteredtheinformalway.Metaphor:Lamb’sfrontier…comparingthelimitationssetbyLambtoafrontier.Para.2:thefeaturesoftheessayItscategoryisvague.Itdevelops…itcites…itreaches…Inversion:Vaguethoughitscategory,Rhetoricalquestions:CouldCarlyledomore?…Para.3:Whatdoesthisessaydo?Itundertakesto…farfrombeing…metaphor&hyperbole:Itisametaphorcomparinglogictoalivinghumanbeing.Itisahyperbolebecauseitexaggeratesforthesakeofeffect.Logicisnotatalladry,learnedbranchoflearning.Itislikealivinghumanbeing,fullofbeauty,passionandpainfulemotionalshocks.Para.4:WhatapersonamI?Inversion:CoolwasIandlogical.simile&hyperbole:comparinghisbraintothreedifferentthingsasdynamo:anearlierformforgenerator,amachinethatconvertsmechanicalenergyintoelectricalenergy;chemist’sscales:suchscalesaremorepreciseandaccuratefortheyhavetoweighsmallquantitiesofpowderorothermedicine;scalpel:asurgeon’ssharpknifeusedinoperationsThinkofit:anexclamatoryphrasetointensifythatwhichfollows.Someothersuchphrasesare“onlythink!”and“youcan’tthink!”Para.5:PraisinghimselfanddegradinghisroommateHyperbole:giantintellect:greatmindorintelligenceEllipsis&simile:Sameage,samebackground,butdumbasanox.…Paras.6-22:Petey,afaddist,islongingforaraccooncoat,andIwanttogetsth.hehas—Polley.Ellipticalsentences:Inthelibrary,Petey,why?No,Well,Ido,Anything?Metaphor:Don’tyouwanttobeintheswim?Mybrain,thatprecisioninstrument,slippedintohighgear.Repetition:I’dgiveanythingforaraccooncoat.Anything.Pausinginmyflight:stoprunning/rushingoutCharleston:alivelydancein4/4time,characterizedbyatwistingstepandpopularduringthe1920’s.Whereyou’vebeen:thissentenceimpliesthatthepersonisratherignorantanddoesnotknowwhateverybodyknows.PollyEspy:Thewritermayhavedeliberatelychosenthename“Espy”,meaningtocatchsightof,tomakeoutParas.23—27:ThenatureandreasonhelikesPollyandevaluationofher.DoesthenarratorlovePolly?Thenarratorishonestabouthisfeelings.Hedidn’tlovePolly.HewantedtomarryPollybecausehethoughtshewouldhelptofurtherhiscareerasalawyer.Hew