Identify any examples of fallacies in the following passages. Tell why you think they are present, and identify which category they belong in, if they fit any category we’ve described.
2. It doesn’t make any sense to speak of tracing an individual human life back past the moment of conception. After all, that’s the beginning, and you can’t go back past the beginning.
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3. MOE: The death penalty is an excellent deterrent for murder.
JOE: What makes you think so?
MOE: Because there’s no evidence that it’s not a deterrent.
JOE: Well, states with capital punishment have higher murder rates than states that don’t have it.
MOE: Yes, but that’s only because there are so many legal technicalities standing in the way of executions that convicted people hardly ever get executed. Remove those technicalities, and the rate would be lower in those states.
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5. Overheard: “Once we let these uptight guardians of morality have their way and start censoring Playboy and Penthouse, the next thing you know they’ll be dictating everything we can read. We’ll be in fine shape when they decide that Webster’s should be pulled from the shelves.”
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6. It seems the biggest problem the nuclear industry has to deal with is not a poor safety record, but a lack of education of the public on nuclear power. Thousands of people die each year from pollution generated by coal-fired plants. Yet to date, there has been no death directly caused by radiation at a commercial nuclear power plant in the United States. We have a clear choice: an old, death-dealing source of energy or a safe, clean one. Proven through the test of time, nuclear power is clearly the safest form of energy and the least detrimental to the environment. Yet it is perceived as unsafe and an environmental hazard.
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8. The mayor’s argument is that because the developers’ fee would reduce the number of building starts, ultimately the city would lose more money than it would gain through the fee. But I can’t go along with that. Mayor Tower is a member of the Board of Realtors, and you know what they think of the fee.
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9. Letter to the editor: “Next week the philosopher Tom Regan will be in town again, peddling his animal rights theory. In case you’ve forgotten, Regan was here about three years ago arguing against using animals in scientific experimentation. As far as I could see then and can see now, neither Regan nor anyone else has managed to come up with a good reason why animals should not be experimented on. Emotional appeals and horror stories no doubt influence many, but they shouldn’t. I’ve always wondered what Regan would say if his children needed medical treatment that was based on animal experiments.”
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Check this site on fallacies, then you decide what they are in the excerpts. Repost and we will be happy to comment.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
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2. This passage contains the fallacy of circular reasoning or begging the question. The argument simply asserts that it doesn't make sense to trace an individual human life back past the moment of conception because that's the beginning. It assumes the conclusion without providing any supporting evidence or logical reasoning.
3. This passage contains the fallacy of non sequitur. Moe's response does not directly address Joe's question and instead introduces a different argument. Moe claims that the death penalty is a deterrent because there's no evidence that it's not, but Joe counters with evidence that states with capital punishment have higher murder rates. Moe's response that the high murder rates are due to legal technicalities standing in the way of executions does not logically follow from Joe's evidence.
5. This passage contains the fallacy of slippery slope. The speaker argues that if society allows the censorship of Playboy and Penthouse, it will eventually lead to dictating everything people can read, including removing dictionaries like Webster's from shelves. This argument assumes a causal chain without providing any evidence or logical reasoning to support the claim that one action will inevitably lead to another.
6. This passage contains the fallacy of false dichotomy or either/or fallacy. The argument presents a false choice between nuclear power, which is described as safe and clean, and coal-fired plants, which are described as old and death-dealing. It ignores other possible alternatives for energy sources and oversimplifies the issue by presenting only two options.
8. This passage contains the fallacy of ad hominem. The speaker dismisses the mayor's argument by pointing out that the mayor is a member of the Board of Realtors and implying that their opinion on the developers' fee is biased. However, the speaker does not address the actual argument made by the mayor and instead attacks their character or affiliation.
9. This passage contains the fallacy of straw man. The speaker misrepresents Tom Regan's position on animal rights by implying that he has not provided a good reason why animals should not be experimented on. The speaker then dismisses emotional appeals and horror stories as irrelevant, without addressing any of the actual arguments for animal rights. This misrepresentation of Regan's position and dismissal of opposing arguments creates a straw man argument.
2. Fallacy: Circular reasoning (Begging the question)
Explanation: The passage states that it doesn't make sense to trace an individual human life past the moment of conception because that's the beginning and you can't go back past the beginning. This is circular reasoning because it assumes the conclusion (that tracing a life back past conception doesn't make sense) in its premises (that it doesn't make sense because it's the beginning).
3. Fallacy: Non sequitur
Explanation: Joe challenges Moe's claim that the death penalty is an excellent deterrent for murder by pointing out that states with capital punishment have higher murder rates. Moe's response is a non sequitur because he argues that the higher murder rates are due to legal technicalities, not because the death penalty is not a deterrent. The connection between legal technicalities and murder rates is not logically established.
5. Fallacy: Slippery slope
Explanation: The passage uses a slippery slope fallacy by suggesting that if people allow censorship of Playboy and Penthouse, it will eventually lead to the censorship of all reading materials, such as dictionaries like Webster's. This argument assumes that a small step in one direction will inevitably lead to much larger, negative consequences without providing sufficient evidence or logical reasoning.
6. Fallacy: False dichotomy
Explanation: The passage presents a false dichotomy by framing the choice as between "an old, death-dealing source of energy" (referring to coal-fired plants) or "a safe, clean one" (referring to nuclear power). It ignores other potential sources of energy and oversimplifies the options, disregarding potential issues and risks associated with nuclear power.
8. Fallacy: Ad hominem
Explanation: The passage commits an ad hominem fallacy by attacking Mayor Tower's credibility and association with the Board of Realtors instead of addressing the substance of his argument about the developers' fee. It suggests that because Mayor Tower is a member of the Board of Realtors, his argument should be dismissed.
9. Fallacy: Straw man
Explanation: The passage sets up a straw man fallacy by misrepresenting Tom Regan's argument against using animals in scientific experimentation. It suggests that nobody has come up with a good reason why animals shouldn't be experimented on, but this mischaracterizes Regan's position and fails to engage with legitimate ethical concerns about animal testing. Additionally, the hypothetical scenario about Regan's children needing medical treatment is irrelevant to the ethical debate.