Reflection Journal – Identifying Fallacies

Most people think an argument happens when people get together, raise their voices, and call each other names. Properly speaking, this is not an argument, but an altercation. An argument is something understood in a philosophical or logical context, and from where we can draw conclusion from various sources. A fallacy is simply a faulty argument. Sometimes communication can be difficult. Difficulties arise from differing cultures, age groups, race and specially every person has different worldview.

I think everybody faces fallacies every single day, starting from personal to professional. Everybody is surrounded with their own beliefs which in terms becomes a fallacy. I was growing up in culture where I think we have lots of different fallacies. They always thought that women are not equal as men. As much Indian spiritual heritage and the pieties of nonviolence sound academic at best and hypocritical at worst. For instance, the dowry deaths and bride burning. Somehow I feel that they believe one family had done that means everybody has to do or they are entitled to do so. Indian women are ahead of their education, professional careers, literature, health and politics however till today I still read and hear stories like that.

As I said earlier we face fallacies every day, and professional life is no different. I worked at local hospital as Biomedical technician with group of 8 other guys. Our work mainly working individually but sometimes we work in group. When I started working there I was in training and got a trained the way that all repair ended up being costly. When I asked the guys to repair something small problem like replacing resistor or capacitor on the board can fixed the equipment. But I was told which I think is just their belief or may be lack of knowledge or I should say lack of thinking that we have to replace the board every time we face similar situation. The board on some of the devices can be expensive and there is no law that you can’t replace simple component. After couple of years and once they started to see me replacing simple component I proved them wrong and gave them hope that if I can than they can too.