Critical Thinking: Media, Philosophy, and Logical Fallacies

Posted on Oct 27, 2025 in Philosophy and ethics

Media, Philosophy, and Logical Fallacies

Media Selection and Priority: The media selects what they report, imposing a priority based on spectacularism, the impact of information, images, and emotive, economic, and ideological interests.
Decontextualization: Decontextualized and rapidly presented news can cause the viewer to not understand what they see.
Informational Silence: Many events that do not meet the criteria for informational interest are not considered news. This is informational silence.
Media and Perceived Truth: Our society has associated truth with media communication, which creates a problem. The media are often dominated by large media groups with specific interests and can manipulate information.

David Hume: David Hume was an 18th-century English philosopher who thought that everything that contributes to the happiness of society deserves our approval.
John Stuart Mill and Utilitarianism: John Stuart Mill was a 19th-century English philosopher who was part of a school of thought called ethical utilitarianism.
The Utilitarian Good: For utilitarians, the “good” is what creates the maximum comfort for the most people.
Classical Position on Truth: The classical position on truth states that it is the correspondence between what is said and reality.
Absolute Truths: Absolute truths are those that cannot be argued against or have exceptions.

Fallacious Arguments: Fallacious arguments are incorrect arguments.
Ad Hominem Fallacy: This fallacy involves discrediting the person making an argument instead of discussing their reasoning.
Ad Baculum Fallacy: This is the use of force or power to justify an argument.
Ad Verecundiam Fallacy (Appeal to Authority): This involves arguing based on the prestige or popularity of a person rather than the argument’s merit.
Ad Populum Fallacy (Appeal to the People): This is arguing with reference to the feelings, prejudices, or interests of the listeners.
Ad Ignorantiam Fallacy (Appeal to Ignorance): This involves arguing that a conclusion is true only because nobody has been able to prove it false.
Tu Quoque Fallacy (“You Too”): This is an argument based on attacking the opponent for a similar fault or situation.
Improper Generalization Fallacy: This is reaching a widespread conclusion based on limited or insufficient data.
False Cause Fallacy: This involves presenting one event as the cause of another simply because they occur in sequence.
Semantic Fallacy (Equivocation): This is giving different meanings to a word during an argument.
Circular Fallacy (Begging the Question): This is an argument in which the conclusion is identical to the premise.

Globalization: It is an economic and cultural process that emerged in the 1990s and tends to create a single world market.
Neoliberalism: A political and economic doctrine that defends total freedom of the market.
Anti-Globalization Movements: They are varied socio-political movements that fight against liberal capitalism.

Idiosyncrasies of a People: The characteristics and peculiarities that make a people unique.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: It was proclaimed in 1789 by the French National Assembly.
The Sophists: A group of 5th-century BC Greek philosophers who focused their reflections on human beings.
The Abolitionist Movement: A social and political movement that proclaimed the end of slavery.
The Poleis: The city-states of ancient Greece.

Moral Relativism: The belief that moral good or evil depends on the culture in which one is situated.
Universal Values: Values that are unchanged and independent of the historical moment and cultural characteristics.
Self-Esteem: The assessment that a person has of themselves.