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argument: If you listened to only one kind of music or eat only one kind of food, it will soon become tasteless or boring. Variety makes food or music exciting. Therefore, it can be concluded that an exclusive sexual relationship with only one member of the opposite sex for the rest of one's life - that is, marriage - does not hold much hope for excitement.
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fallacy:
faulty analogy - for one thing, a person changes over time …more»
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argument: UBC is one of the best universities in Canada, so it must have an excellent philosophy department. Why don't you apply to study there.
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fallacies:
sweeping generalization - This is an error because it does not follow that becuase the university is excellent overall that all of its components are excellent. …more»
vagueness - The meaning of 'best' is rather vague here. It could mean that it's the most fun. …more»
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argument: If we don't give people the death penalty, they will get off with a few years in prison and then parole. Therefore, we should not abolish the death penalty.
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fallacy:
neglect of relevant evidence - Clearly an exaggeration. Most otherwise capital offenses, especially federal ones, have pretty strict sentencing. …more»
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argument: You are either part of the solution, or part of the problem.
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fallacy:
black-and-white - This pretty much speaks for itself. …more»
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argument: Now it's register handguns. Next it will be all guns. Then they'll ban guns, and we'll be set up for a police state.
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fallacy:
slippery slope - The strength of the conclusion relies on the strength of the likelihood that each step leads to the next. I think the step between registration and banning is questionable, and the progression from disarmed public to police state is also unlikely. Not impossible, of course, but we have to weigh the alternatives. …more»
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argument: A majorty of doctors think that the morals of our young people have declined. Therefore, it's reasonable to believe that the morals of our young people have declined.
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fallacy:
questionable authority - What do doctors know about morals? And do they have a good sampling? Are they objectively recording progress, or do they remember 'the good old days' with some selective memory. …more»
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argument: Michael Jackson doesn't approve of US involvement in Central America. Therefore, the US shouldn't be involved in Central America.
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fallacy:
questionable authority - I think this speaks for itself. …more»
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argument: Astronaut Willard has been in outer space, and he believes in God. Therefore, there is a God.
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fallacy:
questionable authority - Speaks for itself. Astronauts are very technically adept, but spiritually, they are as much a professional or amateur as we are. …more»
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argument: You will hurt my feelings if you don't vote for me. Therfore, you should vote for me.
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fallacy:
appeal to pity - Emotional appeals are always a logical fallacy. However, some people argue that there is a moral reason to take them into consideration. Granted, but this does not justify their argument logically. It is merely a type of manipulation to avoid supporting the argument. …more»
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argument: Your mother and I devoted years of our lives raising you to believe in the Christian religion. Don't you know it hurts us to abandon these beliefs now? So, you should convert back.
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fallacy:
appeal to pity - Emotional appeals are always a logical fallacy. However, some people argue that there is a moral reason to take them into consideration. Granted, but this does not justify their argument logically. It is merely a type of manipulation to avoid supporting the argument. …more»
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argument: I doubt that you would be so naiive as to deny the generally accepted fact that the finest painters were French.
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fallacies:
loaded term - The loaded term here is 'generally accepted fact'. An opponent's different opinion is then painted as ignorance. …more»
abusive ad hominem - Asserting that opponents are by definition 'naiive' is abusive. …more»
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argument: I hope you aren't going to support the backward philosophy of emphasizing basic skills. I tend to take the progressive view that there are many things more important than reading, writing, and arithmetic.
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fallacies:
loaded term - The loaded terms here are 'backward philosophy' and the opposite of 'progressive'. This type of fallacy is related to abusive ad hominem, but is more sly in that it criticizes the idea. The sleight against its supporters is only implied. …more»
strawperson - The reason this is a strawperson is that it claims that there is only one type of person who supports the philosophy of emphasizing basic skills. Certainly, the supporters come from a broad mix of progressive and other motives. …more»
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argument: Most men who say war is wrong are snivelling cowards. Therefore, war is not wrong.
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fallacy:
abusive ad hominem - The abusive part speaks for itself in this argument. …more»
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argument: Our former mayor, who was the most corrupt mayor we ever had, favoured legalizing prostitution. Therefore, we should not legalize prostitution.
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fallacy:
guilt by association - The attempt here is to couple the argument for or against prostitution with that of corruption. In politics, though, association is a very powerful logical fallacy, and is the underlying motive in 'smear campaigns': if you can't refute the opponent's argument, try to couple them with something the public dislikes. …more»
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argument: You are telling me I should drink less? You haven't been sober in a year!
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fallacy:
tu coque - When you think about it, you have to recognize that in the extreme case of a society where everybody drunk to excess, this wouldn't suddenly make drinking okay. Sometimes a person with experience in this type of behavior is practically an authority and their opinion should be considered more valuable than the layperson's. In fact, this opposite argument is often proferred: you have never used cocaine in your life, so why should we listen to you about its ill effects? …more»
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argument: So you're an environmentalist? I'd think twice about that if I were you. There are a lot of us miners in this town who aren't too partial about environmentalists.
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fallacies:
appeal to force - There is an implied threat here. …more»
appeal to common practice - Alternatively, it could be implied that there's no threat, but that because everybody acts a certain way, that it's right. …more»
appeal to popularity - He could be implying that its popularity is its justification. …more»
bandwagon - He could also be suggesting that an environmentalist would find himself a social outcast. …more»
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argument: If you want to keep working here, you'd better reconsider your criticism of company policy.
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fallacy:
appeal to force - a pretty blatant threat …more»
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argument: if you don't stop moralizing me, something bad is going to happen to you.
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fallacy:
appeal to force - a veiled threat …more»
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argument: Either we alloow abortion, or we force children to be raised by parents who don't want them.
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fallacy:
false dilemma - the implication that there are two choices: abortion or unwanted babies. …more»
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argument: The choice of what should be taught in colleges should be left to professors. If students are allowed to influence the choice, they will see themselves as running the school. This will lead to a breakdown of order and discipline, and pretty soon there will be no learning at all in the college.
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fallacy:
slippery slope - see how we went from students having influence to no learning at all with some pretty weak intermediate steps …more»
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argument: We desperately need a nationalized day care program. Those who oppose it think that the private sector will take care of the needs of the poor. But this has not been the case in the past and will not be the case in the future.
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fallacies:
argument from tradition - That the private sector has not helped the poor in general may not imply that they cannot meet the needs of the poor in this case, albeit by trying to make their own profits. …more»
strawman - It's possible that those who oppose a national daycare program have other reasons than belief in the private sector. For example, they may believe that women should stay at home and care for their own families. It's easier to criticise the profit motive than family values. …more»
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argument: We should ban all guns. Those who oppose a ban on guns don't think any crimes involve guns, but statistics prove otherwise.
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fallacy:
strawperson - Perhaps there are a few people who believe that guns aren't involved in crime, but the majority of gun supporters have very different reasons for their opinion, most of which are harder to dismiss than this. …more»
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argument: The main argument against the draft seems to be that it is an inconvenience. but a little inconvenience is a small price to pay for national security. I'm in favour of the draft.
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fallacy:
strawperson - A dead soldier is more than an inconvenience. Also, many people object to the draft because they believe this or that war is unethical. …more»
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argument: I urge you to vote against the bill requiring a deposit on bottles. There are many kinds of litter besides bottles. We should require a deposit on everything that might be thrown on the roadside.
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fallacy:
black and white - What's implied here is all-or-nothing. Either we put a deposit on everything, or nothing. …more»
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argument: If everybody benefitted from the present education system, then there would be no reason to change it drastically. But not everybody benefits from the present education system. Therefore, we should radically overhaul the way in which kids are educated.
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fallacy:
black and white - All or nothing: either the system suits everybody or it's no good. …more»
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argument: Callous though it sounds, I do not believe we have an obligation to redistribute wealth to the less fortunate. The reason that I belive this is that what a person earns is rightfully his. No one else has a claim to it.
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fallacy:
circular reasoning - this is the same argument, rephrased a second time to appear to be an independant fact …more»
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argument: According to my theory, men who had doting mothers will seek women who are hard, independent, and not overly affectionate. This is a reaction to having been smothered by their mother's affection. Now if my theory is correct, Ed would be attracted to a woman like Carla. In fact, Ed is attracted to Carla, so my theory is correct.
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fallacy:
hasty generalization - the conclusion comes from just one example. We also have a good example here of confirmation bias. …more»
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argument: Politicians should keep in mind when they are decideing whether abortion is right or wrong, that we pro-lifers have big families who grow up to be part of the voting public. Pro-abortionists tend to have no families at all.
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fallacy:
appeal to personal circumstances - the politicians are being warned that their job security depends not on making decisions they believe are morally right, but by capitulating to popular votes …more»
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argument: Do I need to remind you how difficult it might be if you decide not to go out with me? After all, I help make personnel decisions around here.
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fallacy:
appeal to force - there's a threat of firing here …more»
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argument: Discipline is important in education. Granted, Russeau opposed discipline, but he was a pervert.
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fallacies:
abusive ad hominem - anytime you see insults, you have abusive ad hominem. …more»
guilt by association - there might also be an attempt to tar opponents as allies of a pervert …more»
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argument: Rudi says that the government should provide more jobs for people. He should know. He couldn't get a job on his own if he had to. I had to look for months before I found work. My family even ran low on food. It was humiliating to plead with employers for a job. But I stuck it out and foudn wrok, and people like Rudi can do the same.
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fallacies:
hasty generalization - the belief that all unemployed people have the same opportunites as one success story …more»
red herring - his personal experience is not relevant to what the government should or should not do for the population at large …more»
inconsistency - in a way, he is being inconsistent: his own testimony was that he ran low on food and was humiliated. That sounds more like an endorsement of government action than a critique. …more»
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argument: The finances of hte government are like the finances of a family. A family can't go on spending more than it takes in.
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fallacy:
bad analogy - there are way, way, too many disanalogies to make this a good model for national macroeconomics. …more»
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argument: I'm in favour of legalized gambling. There are those who oppose it, but they apparently think that anything that's fun is sinful.
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fallacy:
strawperson - opponents almost certainly have more sophisticated reasons to object to legalized gambling, such as crime rates, addiction &c …more»
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argument: If many students register for philosophy 100, it must be good. But not many students did, so it can't be a good course.
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fallacies:
appeal to popularity - the assumption being that more popular is better …more»
denying the antecedent - this is a syllogism error: if A then B. Not A, therefore not B. Wrong. …more»
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argument: Capital punishment for murder is justified because it's right for society to reserve its most severe punishment for such a crime.
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fallacy:
circular reasoning - it's right because it's right, apparently …more»
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argument: Are you still getting drunk every weekend?
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fallacy:
loaded question - answering "no" could be implied to mean "not every weekend" …more»
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argument: College education is a waste of time. Henry Ford was one of the richest men in the world, and he never went beyond fourth grade.
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fallacy:
hasty generalization - one success story doesn't extrapolate to every fourth-grade dropout …more»
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argument: Success in our society is purely a matter of ability and ambition. Look at Ducaccis: his parents were poor immigrants, and he is going to be president of the United States.
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fallacy:
hasty generalization - one success story doesn't extrapolate to every case …more»
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argument: Since the majority of people in this town think that the proposed factory is economically feasable, we should ignore the few detractors and go ahead with the project.
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fallacies:
appeal to popularity - while the democratic process has to be respected, it doesn't answer the question of a factory's economic validity …more»
appeal to questionable authority - it is possible that the few detractors are experts in factory economics, and crediting the 'majority' with better qualifications for this type of decision is questionable. …more»
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argument: If you don't do these math problems, I will have to fail you in the course. So you should do the math problems.
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fallacy:
appeal to force - granted, there are probably other reasons to do math problems, such as learning math …more»
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argument: The fact that you men are on strike proves that the strike is justified.
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fallacies:
circular reasoning - the implication being that the men would only go on strike if they had a good reason, and at the same time, since they're on strike, there must have been a good reason. …more»
appeal to provincialism - the speaker could be saying that because you men are on strike - meaning his fellows - that it's justified. …more»
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argument: He's a homosexual, so he's unsuitable for this politically sensitive post.
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fallacy:
poisoning the well - suggesting that anything the person says will be tainted …more»
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argument: A college education is of no use. College graduates earn little more on average than those who haven't been to college.
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fallacy:
black and white - that either something earns a lot of money or it's useless …more»
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argument: He must be poor - look at his clothes.
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fallacy:
sweeping generalization - based on the general poverty of people who wear shabby clothes, this one person must be poor based on his similarity to the poor class …more»
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argument: There's a strong correlation between the increase in the number of sex education courses during the 1970s and the increase in stds. So, sex education was an important factor in the increase in the std rate.
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fallacies:
common cause - sex education and std rates could have both been responding to an increase in sexual activity …more»
correlation to cause - sex education and std rates could have both been increasing for no connected reason …more»
confusing cause and effect - sex education could have been a response to previously rising std rates …more»
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argument: In life, as in basketball, you cheat if you can get away with it. That way, you have a better chance of winning.
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fallacy:
faulty analogy - the penalties for cheating in basketball are not as severe as the penalties for, say, fraud, in real life. …more»
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argument: Spending a great deal of money to provide medical care for the aged is like wasting money on an old car. When a car is all worn out, needs a new engine, transmission, and body work, it's just better to junk it.
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fallacy:
faulty analogy - cars don't have feelings or loved ones …more»
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argument: Since the explosion of the first atomic bomb, our weather has been weird. That's what happens when you expose the planet to radiation.
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fallacy:
post hoc - there are probably other contributors to climate change than atomic detonations …more»
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argument: It's no wonder that Philip makes such good grades and always does what the teacher asks. He's the teacher's pet.
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fallacy:
circular reasoning - I'd say that that's the definition of a teacher's pet. …more»
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argument: Most elementary school teachers have children of their own. So teaching elementary school stimulates people's interest in being parents.
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fallacies:
going from correlation to cause - elementary school teachers may be like everybody else, and just have children for reasons unrelated to liking them more than the rest of us …more»
reversing cause and effect - perhaps they already like kids, and that's what brought them into teaching, instead of the other way around …more»
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argument: Most obese college students are also depressed. So either obesity is causing depression, or ddepression is causing obesity.
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fallacy:
common cause - neglecting to consider that concentrating on academics probably causes people to become less active and more stressed and depressed …more»
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argument: Yes, I have examined the case for Chistianity, but I just can't accept it. I simply can't swallow that stuff about a man walking on water or turning water into wine. You and I both know that's empirically impossible.
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fallacies:
strawperson - the case for any religion is more involved than a few claims of miracles …more»
black and white - the assertion that an argument be empirically possible or rejected …more»
contradiction - the fact that these events are empirically impossible is what classifies them as miracles and is actually considered an endorsement of the faith, rather than a shortcoming …more»
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argument: I think the administration is entirely unjustified in dismissing Professor VanZandt. Granted, he's never prepared for his lectures, he makes off-colour remarks to his female students, and he grades arbitrarily. He isn't even friendly toward his students. But He always says hello to me when we meet in the hallway, so I think his dismissal is a mistake.
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fallacies:
hasty generalization - so he's nice to one guy …more»
red herring - really, they're not talking about the professor's chattiness …more»
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argument: Smoking mijuana is illegal, son. If there were nothing wrong with it, it wouldn't be illegal.
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fallacies:
circular - it's wrong because it's illegal; it's illegal because it's wrong. round and round. …more»
denying the antecedant - if it's legal, it's right; it's not legal, therefore it's not right (erroneous syllogism) …more»
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argument: Public school teachers and professors should not seek to engage in collective bargaining. After all, very few teachers are presently engaged in such practices.
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fallacies:
appeal to popularity - not a lot of teachers like the idea …more»
appeal to common practice - not a lot of teachers do this …more»
appeal to tradition - up to now, teachers haven't done this …more»
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argument: Give me some time to think about it. I want to consider if I should have sex with you. In other words, I want to try to make a rational decision about it.
But darling, having sex with someone isn't something you usually make a rational decision about.
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fallacy:
poisoning the well - I admit I had trouble with this one. Basically, the opponent wants the person to dismiss their own rational arguments as misguided. …more»
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argument: If he denies that he knows her, he's been cheating on me. But if he doesn't deny that he knows her, so he can't have been cheating on me.
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fallacies:
black and white - obviously, there are other possible combinations: he admits to knowing her even though he's cheating, for example. …more»
denying the antecedent - A->B; ~A->~B. Error. …more»
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argument: Insane people shouldn't be punished. Someone who commits murder is insane. Therefore, murderers shouldn't be punished.
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fallacies:
sweeping generalization - that someone who commits murder is insane …more»
ambiguity - 'insane' has both legal and colloquial meanings. Usually, in the legal sense, it means "doesn't understand right from wrong". In most cases, murder charges are laid when the authorities believe the plaintiff knew what he was doing was wrong. So, they are not always 'insane' in the legal sense. …more»
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argument: You witnessed miracles like man landing on the moon. So you shouldn't doubt the miracles described in the Bible.
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fallacy:
ambiguity - 'miracles' in the first case means 'impressive, but physically possible', but in the Bible 'miracles' means 'physically impossible'. …more»
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argument: No person can sing as loud as an organ plays. All the members of the choir are persons. Therefore, the choir cnnot sing as loud as an organ plays.
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fallacy:
fallacy of composition - pretty straightforward example …more»
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argument: If you don't believe that philosophy will solve all the world's problems, there's probably no good reason to study it.
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fallacy:
black and white - there may be other good reasons to study philosophy …more»
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argument: You may be right about the Yankees now, but if Billy Martin were still alive and managing the team, they would be in first place today.
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fallacies:
red herring - coulda, woulda, shoulda …more»
contrary to fact reasoning - a special type of red herring where you introduce an alternative reality as if it's a counterargument …more»
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argument: I really don't think we should be lowering our interest rates by a quater of a percent right now. People will expect us to drop it another quarter of a percent next month, and another quarter the month after that. Before you know it, the interest rate will be less than zero percent.
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fallacy:
slippery slope - the arguer will have to establish why this drop will precipitate future drops …more»
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argument: Opponents of tuition increases argue that since our state benefits from well-educated university graduates, the state should pay more for higher education through taxes. They'll probably have to pay all the costs of everyone's food, housing, and health care since it could be argued that the state also benefits from a well-fed, well-housed, healthy population.
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fallacies:
bad analogy - the state benefits from university graduates economically, and from most of the other things socially. In fact, where the state observes it economically beneficial to invest in food, housing, and health, it frequently does. …more»
strawperson - there is some exaggerated simplification of free tuition advocacy …more»
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argument: Most people in town are against an all-nude night club. Letters in the paper are four to one in opposition to it and the local neighbourhoods are incensed about it.
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fallacies:
appeal to popularity - not that nude nightclubs are a right, but the popularity of a business is not the be all and end all of its legitemacy …more»
hasty generalization - the paper's responses may not be representative of the community at large …more»
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argument: Why is higher education such a waste of time?
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fallacy:
loaded question - whether higher education is a waste of time is probably more questionable than why it might be …more»
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argument: Mr. President: we have two options... back down or fight.
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fallacy:
black and white - I think in this day and age, we should be willing to think outside the box a bit. Granted, sometimes, we really do only have two options in some situations. …more»
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argument: I definitely think you should purchase that extra ten million dollars on advertising time. After all, harry Truman said that you can't spend too much to win an election.
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fallacy:
appeal to questionable authority - truman is dead. What he would advise in a current election, or in this specific situation, is unknown. …more»
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argument: I know that you think that the West is not keeping pace with Eastern nations when it comes to training in math. But you're wrong. Not every Eastern person is better. Just look at Simone. She placed third in the international math competitions for her age group and she's a Westerner.
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fallacies:
hasty generalization - translating 'easterners are better at math' to 'every easterner as an individual is better at math' is a hasty generalization …more»
red herring - Simone's scores are not what we're arguing about …more»
strawperson - notice how they switched the claim from "the west is not keeping up" to "every Easter person is better" …more»
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argument: If we are going to buy a car we have to buy either a good one or a cheap one. We can't afford a cgood one and we don't want a cheap one. So we'll have to do without.
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fallacy:
black and white - surely, the good/cheap choice is forced …more»
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argument: Americans are simply tired of dishonesty from their politicians. This conclusion is borne out by a recent comprehensive survey ofmore than 100,000 college students.
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fallacies:
hasty generalization - specifically, I can see a good case of selection bias here in that college students are certainly not representative of the general population …more»
- …more»
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argument: Prosecutor to defendant on the witness stand: "it seems pretty clear that the accident was your fault. Did you see the traffic light turn red before or after you ran it?"
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fallacy:
loaded question - what's really in question is whether the light was red at all, not when the driver saw the red light …more»
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argument: No, I disagree with you conclusion about the Bulls. If Jordan hadn't retired, they would definitely have won the nba title again this year.
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fallacy:
contrary to fact reasoning - a type of red herring …more»
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argument: Now I realize that you were in surgery when I gave the examination. But I cannot let you take a make-up exam. If I do that, then people who were absent due to car accidents or illnesses in the family or just plain "had the flu" would demand make-up exams, too. Then, pretty soon anyone who was scared of taking one of my tests or had something better to do that day would be asking for make-up exams.
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fallacies:
slippery slope - shaky sequence of events …more»
corrupt continuum - the arguer is also sort of lamenting that he can't make a clear boundry between absence due to surgery and absence due to having something better to do. Certainly, there's a cutoff point. …more»
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argument: The way I see it, we might study hard for this test and still fail it. On the other hand, we might not study at all and get lucky and have the test curved in our favour. So, we might as well have fun instead of studying and take our chances.
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fallacies:
black and white - the other possibilities are that the test might be fair and we might pass if we study hard …more»
neglect of relevant evidence - the chances of failing a test that we studied hard for or passing a test we walked into unprepared are contrary to what we know from experience …more»
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argument: I guess he's not a real doctor yet. You said he was just a practicing physician, didn't you?
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fallacy:
ambiguity - 'practice' is a bit of a homonym in that it sounds like 'practise', which is what we do when we try to get something right …more»
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argument: Fellow committeepersons, I think that we should deny this request for relief funds for the homeless. I do realize that it is twenty degrees below zero outside right now, but what are we going to do when food prices skyrocket and the AFDC people want relief for hteir folks? What if gas prices go up exorbitantly and all the commuting little junior executives want some kind of support? What about earthquake and fire victims?
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fallacies:
bad analogy - reducing the cost of commuting and preventing people freezing are not comparable goals …more»
inconsistency - the government does provide funds for fire and earthquake victims, food money, and has historically subsidized fuel prices …more»
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argument: What an interesting conclusion: I always thought lawyers were a very conservative political group. But here, according to one survey, they are, ocntrary to public opinion, a very moderate to liberal group. In a nationwide poll of law students, 57% voted for Clinton, 21% for Bush, and 21% for Perot.
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fallacy:
hasty generalization - specifically, this is what we call a sample bias. We know that students are not representative of the whole lawyer population. …more»
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argument: How does homeopathy work?
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fallacies:
loaded question - Does homeopathy work? Then we can try to figure out a mechanism. …more»
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argument: You want proof that alternative medicine works? Consider: utilization went up from 33.8% of the American public in 1990 to well over 50% in 1998. There were 427 million CAM visits in 1990, and that number increased to over 629 million in 1997, a 47.3% increase in just seven years! Spending for CAM therapies, including nutritional and botanical/herbal supplements in 1998, totaled $18 billion OUT-OF-POCKET! Overall CAM patient satisfaction rates are greater than 75%. And if that's not enough, perhaps this is the clincher: current CAM visits far outnumber visits to any and all primary care physicians 2.1:1.
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fallacy:
appeal to popularity - everybody used to believe the earth was flat. It doesn't mean the earth used to be flat. …more»
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argument: Carl Sagan has remarked that human beings have the capability to send people to the moon and to Mars. However, I think that he has overstated his case. There is no way that we can send any number of people anywhere in space at any time we want, and certainly not right now.
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fallacy:
strawperson - Sagan didn't say 'anywhere', 'any number', or 'right now' …more»
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argument: It sure seems like a Hobson's choice to me: Either we look like the big, bad aggressive nations, sending troops into a tiny country as if we were the pope of moral opinion, or we do nothing, which makes us look like a bunch of scared little wimps who won't even stand up for basic human rights.
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fallacy:
black and white - There are other ways to interpret actions. …more»
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argument: The market strategy I was using should ahve worked. Too bad we had that unexpected setback at the summit meeting this morning; if that hadn't occurred, the stock market absolutely would have gone through the roof.
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fallacy:
contrary to fact reasoning - It is unknown what the market would have done in other circumstances. …more»
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argument: The problem, as I see it, is if we give the okay for this play, there won't be any effective way for us to censor future plays that have more nudity, violence, or offensive language. In effect, we will have given a licence to pornography. We might as well legalize drugs, prostitution, and organized crime while we're at it.
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fallacies:
slippery slope - that permitting some nudity, violence, and offensive language in a play will prevent being able to justify other prohibitions …more»
corrupt continuum - that there is no difference between a artistic nudity, violence, and offensive language and the profane use of such …more»
bad analogy - proposing that prohibition of drugs, prostitution, and organized crime are about as serious as nudity, violence, and language in a play …more»
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argument: My opponent clams that he cannot tell you unequivocally that he will not have to raise taxes. Now how can you vote for someone who has just told you to your face that he is going to double or triple your taxes?
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fallacy:
strawperson - The politician may raise taxes by 1%, may reduce them 10%, may increase them tenfold. The critic's claim that they will double is fabricated. …more»
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argument: Look, Mom, I know my grades have fallen tremendously this semester, but there's a method to my madness. If you read this school cataog carefully, it says that you have to have a 2.0 average to graduate. With two or more semesters of grades as low as this, I should be able to bring my GPA down to 2.0 by graduation time.
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fallacy:
confusing necessary with sufficient criteria - really, the catalog means at least a 2.5 gpa …more»
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argument: Acme Parcel Service is an aggressive young company. So, Sam, the parcel package delivery woman must be an aggressive young driver.
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fallacy:
sweeping generalization - each part may not have the same characters of the whole …more»
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argument: Congratulations! I see you are expecting to be a mother soon. Too bad you'll have to give up your medical career.
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fallacy:
black and white - Being a mother doesn't usually mean giving up a career. The arguer is being facetious. …more»
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argument: I started getting all these headaches right after I chnaged from tap water to bottled water. So, I am sure that the bottled water must be the cause of my headaches.
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fallacies:
post hoc - there could be a different reason for the headaches; the timing with the water may be coincidental …more»
going from correlation to cause - there may be a reason that both happened at the same time, such as increased exercise that causes dehydration, and she's started buying bottled water at the new gym …more»
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argument: There is absolutely no reason for us to consideer this guy's arguments concerning reproductive rights: not only is he a male, but he's gay and doesn't have any children of his own.
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fallacies:
poisoning the well - The arguer is trying to trigger the prejudice of the audience to cause them to dismiss arguments because of the person's personal situation. It is just as easy, however, to argue that as a person with no vested interest, his opinions are more objective and that he has a good sense of justice, uninfluenced by personal need... or not. You'd have to lisen to find out. …more»
appeal to questionable authority - the ability or willingness to have children does not convey an expertise in human rights …more»
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argument: I'll tell you why we can't tolerate abortions in thecase of incest and rape. First of all, the Pro-Choice people are in favour of this, and we should oppose anything these idiots favour. Secondly, if we let htem get their feet in the door on thsee issues, then we will have to grant certain first-trimester abortions, once we do that , anyone who wants to terminate their pregnancy can do so anytime they want.
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fallacies:
genetic fallacy - opposing an idea based on the identity of its proponents, rather than on the merits of the idea itself …more»
abusive ad hominem - calling the opponent an idiot …more»
slippery slope - that allowing abortions due to rape and incest will start us on a path to abortion-on-demand …more»
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argument: Premarital sex is definitely immoral. Not only did my father and my priest tell me so, but everybody knows that sex before marriage is wrong.
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fallacies:
appeal to common practice - that what everybody thinks is wrong is indeed immoral by definition …more»
question begging - that it's immoral because it's wrong, which is just restating the assertion, not supporting it …more»
appeal to questionable authority - I would say that this may or may not be a fallacy, depending on whether the person was arguing that it's immoral for people of this faith to behave this way, in which case a priest is a credible authority. Otherwise not so much. …more»
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argument: The hamburgers at that place on the other side of town must be pretty good for you. For one thing, they've sold an awful lot of them. Fort another, if there was something non-nutritional about them, somebody would have proven it by now.
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fallacies:
appeal to popularity - the popularity of a product tells you little about any of its merits …more»
appeal to ignorance - the fact that the person doesn't have information regarding negative health findings doesn't mean that we can assume that ther aren't any …more»
neglect of relevant evidence - there is a lot of research about other hamburgers that suggest that it's not the most nutritious meal. it's possible to extend that research to apply to other burgers, such as these ones …more»
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argument: Employee to supervisor: "I definitely deserve a bonus and a raise. I'm behind on my house payments and my wife just lost her job. Not only that, but Junior needs braces and tutoring. Things are tough all over. Also, you might remember that I could take what I know to competitors, and they could bury you tomorrow.
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fallacies:
appeal to pity - rather than arguing that his value has increased, he is arguing that his need for money has increased …more»
appeal to force - there is some type of threat here, to hurt the employer if he the demands aren't met …more»
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argument: To be a feminist these days is to be a Nazi and a Fascist. I know this is so because I hear Rush Limbaugh refer to them as feminazis and no one has called in so far to refute the correctness of that term.
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fallacies:
selection bias - no doubt the calls are screened and critics are disconnected. those few that get through are probably edited out before airing. …more»
hasty generalization - there are some feminists who are a bane to the movement, but the majority have very reasonable objectives …more»
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argument: What do you mean "why do we play the national anthem before a game?" What a stupid question! We've always done it that way.
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fallacies:
appeal to tradition - it doesn't really answer the question, does it …more»
question begging - the answer is sort of a rehash of the question …more»
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argument: Your Honor, I think you're being a little unfair to my client. Two weeks ago, in a case exactly similar to this one, you found the defendant guilty, but made him serve twenty hours of community service. Therefore, you should reconsider your decision to imprison my client.
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fallacy:
neglect of relevant evidence - sentencing varies with consideration of the defendant's particulars, not just about the case in question …more»
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argument: Our home was burglarized after they decreased the penalty for burglary. Quite frankly, we fully expect to be robbed again until the old law is reinstated.
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fallacy:
causal oversimplification - …more»
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argument: If Darwin's theory of evolution was correct, then his own remote ancestors were apes. this proves how absurd Darwin's theory is.
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fallacies:
inconsistent - if it's true, then it's false …more»
red herring - it's unclear how a particular person's ancestry affects the legitemacy of a biological theory they propose …more»
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argument: Those who decry american involvement in Central America fail to consider the Soviet Union's violation of human rights in Afghanistan and its repeated acts of aggression in other parts of the world. Either you object to all forms of state terrorism or else you should object to none.
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fallacies:
tu coque - an opponent rationalizing misbehavior by pointing out that it is conducted by the arguer as well. this would assume that the arguer is directing their discussion toward a Soviet-friendly audience …more»
false dichotomy - this is actually a very commonplace argument, and it's worth examining. is a person who cherry-picks their atrocities a hypocrite? not necessarily, if the rationalization is to concentrate on winnable battles …more»
appeal to common practice - it's also possible that the arguer is pointing out other atrocities in order to frame the behavior as acceptable in its normalcy …more»
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argument: If the murder weapon was a gun, police should have found powder marks in the vicinity of hte body. The police found several powder marks on the carpet near where the victim fell. Therefore, the murder weapon was a gun.
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fallacies:
inductively valid - what's implied here is the reciprocal: if there are powder marks at the scene, then there was probably a gun discharged …more»
affirming the consequence - deductively invalid: if A then B; B; therefore A. …more»
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argument: Limp-wristed, quiche-eating Californians are incapable of serious thought. To learn anything about politics in the real world, talk to a New Yorker.
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fallacies:
poisoning the well - implying that the opponent is unqualified …more»
abusive ad hominem - self-evident …more»
loaded term - self-evident …more»
appeal to provincialism - depending on the audience, this can work in the arguer's favour …more»
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argument: Logicians claim that the study of argument is an indispensable part of everyone's education. Since this helps to keep them employed, it's not surprising that they endorse such views. Let's not be influenced by thinking which does not represent the majority of students, parents, or teachers htemselves.
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fallacy:
poisoning the well - …more»
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argument: Timmy thinks the Bears will repeat in the Superbowl. So, I've already asked my bookie to put $5,000 on the bears next January. By the way, did you catch Timmy's one-minute spot for the American Cancer Association? He says the odds are against you if you smoke. I'm quitting cigarettes today.
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fallacy:
questionable authority - …more»
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argument: An exhaustive survey of the class of 1990 revealed that 81% believe in God. 91% believe in the importanc eof family life, and 95% respect both of their parents. the survey also showed that over 3/4 (77%) of entering students placed "having a prefessional career" high on the list of their objectives. Clearly, the return of traditional American moral values is responsible for the new vocational emphasis among our college-age youth.
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fallacies:
confusing correlation with causation - …more»
hasty generalization - …more»
causal oversimplification - …more»
neglect of relevant evidence - …more»
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argument: We cannot allow our school system to become bilingual. If we permit instruction in either of two languages, what's to prevent introducing a third or a fourth? Besides, how can we in good conscience tell representatives of one ethnic community that their language isn't good enough to be taught in the schools, when we've already decided to grant somebody else's children that very privilege? Consequently, we should remain monolingual.
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fallacies:
slippery slope - introducing a second language will not necessarily lead to introducing all languages …more»
inconsistent - one of the reasons for not introducing new languages into the curriculum is that it would expose favouritism toward those chosen, but the arguer is comfortable choosing just one …more»
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