Assignment 3 Phil 170

Phil 170 Assignment #3 I) Several of those who have been critical in the past have now lost their jobs. C) I am sure you will want to keep your mouth shut in the future so that you do not lose yours. Converse Accident Fallacy: Very weak generalization. I) Most elderly people who are hospitalized with cancer eventually die from the disease. C) If an elderly person wants to recover from cancer they must all costs refuse hospitalization. Converse Accident Fallacy: Very weak generalization. I) A few years ago he was convicted of fifteen counts of child molestation and statutory rape. C) Steve Belford is clearly unqualified to operate the Paradise Day Care Center for young children No Fallacy: Both events are closely related, justifying the argument. I) Barbara Lawn is a lawyer, and committed fraud against the company she works for. II) Dennis Stone, also a lawyer, generated needless paper work so that he could charge his client for more than he should C) Lawyers are nothing but a bunch of crooks Hasty Generalization: Weak inductive generalization. I) Dr. Harrison has argued the open position should be given to Dr. George. C) Harrison’s argument should be discounted since Harrison and George are good friends Ad Hominem Circumstantial: Argument against Dr. Harrison is drawn away from his own argument. I) Man is a three letter word. II) John is man. C) John is a three-letter word. Fallacy of Weak Analogy: Does not follow logical necessity. I) All constituent parts of the universe…appear in this form. (spherical) C) The universe is spherical in form. Composition: Argues that what is true about parts of one thing is true about the whole. I) The murder rate increased sharply after the handgun restriction law was passed. C) The new law is to blame for this unfortunate result. False Cause: Can not directly relate the two without evidence. I) American Indians are disappearing. II) This man is American Indian. C) Therefore this man is disappearing. Fallacy of Division: Cannot make the exact comparison. I) No one would buy a pair of shoes without trying them on C) Why should anyone expect to get married without premarital sex? Fallacy of Weak Analogy: The two events analyzed are not related in any way. I) Each of these small cubes of plutonium is perfectly safe in its thick lead container. C) If they are all piled together and placed in that big thick lead container, they will still be perfectly safe. Composition: Argues that what is true about one part is true in the same way after being changed. I) All of us cannot be well known C) All of us cannot be famous No fallacy: It is not feasible for the entire population to be famous. I) Either this key fits the front door or it’s the wrong key II) It clearly doesn’t fit. It’s much too large. C) It is the wrong key. No Fallacy: Although it is “black and white” argument, the key does not fit, therefore it is the wrong key. I) Congressman Barlow is middle-aged Republican with blue eyes, and supports strong legislation outlawing abortion. II) Congressman Crenshaw is also middle-aged Republican with blue eyes C) Congressman Crenshaw probably also supports strong legislation outlawing abortion. Converse Accident Fallacy: Weak generalization. I) More people in America drink Budweiser than any other beer C) If you drink beer, you should drink Bud. Appeal to Majority: People have different preferences all over the world. I) Six prominent movie stars all agreed that nuclear power was extremely dangerous. C) Immediate steps should be taken to reduce this country’s dependence on nuclear power. Appeal to Inappropriate Authority: Movie stars are not experts on nuclear power. I) Shelly Mueller made a TV commercial urging young people to say “No” to drugs. II) When I knew her she was an avid user of crack and crystal meth. C) No one should listen to her. Tu quoque Fallacy: Argument against Mueller does not allow for her to have changed since they last saw her. I) Bill Gilmore argued for increased funding for the disabled. II) Gilmore is a slob who cheats on his wife, beats his kids, and never pays his bills on time. C) Nobody should listen to his argument Ad hominem Abuse: The accusations against Gilmore have nothing to do with his argument. I) During the past fifteen years McGill has managed five different businesses, and all have declared bankruptcy as a direct result of her inept leadership. C) It would not be a good idea to appoint Frances McGill to the office of city manager. No Fallacy: It is logical to think it is not a good idea after her past record of managing. I) Actresses are persons. II) Jennifer is a great actress. C) Jennifer must be a great person. Converse Accident: Too quick of a generalization makes a poor argument. I) Professor Howards Brastoff, the famous astrophysicist, has stated the so called Jupiter Effect… has no danger for the inhabitants of the Earth. II) No scientists disagree with Brastoff. C) The Jupiter Effect is indeed harmless. No Fallacy: Professor Howard is a reliable source, and there is no controversy on the topic with other scientists. I) John Vogler, leader of the Alaskans for the Independence party, says that Alaska should secede from the United States and become an independent nation. C) It follows that Alaska should indeed do this. Bandwagon Fallacy: I) The keg on the left is filled with light beer. II) The keg on the right is filled with regular beer. C) The keg on the left must weigh several pounds less than the one on the right Equivocation Fallacy: The use of “light beer” is used as the wrong meaning for light. I) One cubic centimeter of copper weighs less than one cubic centimeter of iron. C) This large copper ingot weighs less than that identically sized iron ingot. No Fallacy: Logically if copper weighs less than iron it will at every size. I) If we give subsidies to soybean farmers, then corn and wheat growers will ask for the same. II) Cotton growers, citrus growers, truck farmers, and cattle raisers will soon follow. C) Cost will be astronomical, so we must turn down the soybean farmer’s request. Slippery Slope (Domino Fallacy): There is no way to predict the chain reaction. I) Raising a child is like growing a tree. II) Sometime violent things, such as cutting off branches, have to be done to force the tree to grow straight. C) Similarly, corporal punishment must sometimes be inflicted on children to force them to develop properly. Straw Man Theory: The argument chosen to back corporal punishment is a poor one. I) The Surgeon General recently issued a report arguing that one third of the cancer fatalities in the United States can be attributed to smoking. II) Americans have been smoking for years and a great deal of enjoyment has resulted. C) This claim is ridiculous. I) Senator Kennedy has argued persuasively for federal insurance to protect the elderly against the burden of catastrophic injury or illness. II) Nothing can stop the aging process. C) People who think they can remain youthful forever are simply deluding themselves. Straw Man Fallacy: Does not follow the argument correctly. I) Jack Sherman has argued that modern technology does not hold the key to human happiness. II) Apparently Sherman would have us return to the Stone Age. C) Jack Sherman’s argument is foolish. Ad Hominem Circumstantial: The argument against Sherman is not towards his ideas, and taken wrongly. I) Only man is a rational being. II) No woman is man. C) No woman is rational being. Equivocation Fallacy: The word “man” is used as a male, instead of as a human being. Which causes a fallacy in the argument. I) Jackson has never finished grade school. II) The most sophisticated job has ever held is a garbage collector. C) Jackson has no business arguing about anything. Tu quoque Fallacy: Everyone is entitled to opinions even without education. I) During the six months that Reverend Evans has been pastor of our church, four members have died. C) Our only alternative is to get rid of Reverend Evans. False Cause Fallacy: The two events can not be directly related. I) Virtually everyone who has declined our offer has suffered a catastrophic fire. C) You will want to install our fire prevention sprinklers throughout your factory. Appeal to Force: Implicitly implies that without their product something bad will happen to them. I) If you are not a vegetarian you continue to subject innocent animals to needless pain and suffering C) Becoming a vegetarian means animals will not suffer. False Dichotomy: Acts as though there are only two outcomes, when there are multiple. I) The Dalai Lama argues China has no business in Tibet II) Dalai Lama just wants the Chinese to leave so he can return as leader. C) We should reject his argument, because he only wants to return to power. Ad Hominem Circumstantial: Attempts to discredit his argument by drawing attention away from the actual argument and towards the Dalai Lama’s self interest. I) Behrens was proven to be the defendant’s lover. II) Independent witnesses testified to seeing Behrens in a shopping mall at the time the store was robbed. C) Behrens’s testimony should be discounted. No Fallacy: Used proven evidence and was a third party toward Beherens. I) Ginsberg was a marijuana-smoking homosexual and a thoroughgoing advocate of drug culture. C) Ginsberg argument’s favoring the legalizing of pornography are nothing but trash. Ad Hominem Abuse: Argument against Ginsberg is directly attacking his character, not his argument. I) Conway carried on a love affair with a member of the English department. II) Even students got an eyeful of the pair every day in the copier room. C) Conway’s complaints of inadequate parking should be ignored. Ad Hominem Abuse: Argument against Conway has nothing to do with Conway’s own argument.