Identify any examples of fallacies in the following passages. Tell why you
think these are fallacies, and identify which category they belong in, if they
fit any category we’ve described.
1. Letter to the editor: “I would like to express my feelings on the recent
conflict between county supervisor Blanche Wilder and Murdock County
Sheriff Al Peters over the county budget“I have listened to sheriffs’ radio broadcasts. Many times there have
been dangerous and life-threatening situations when the sheriff’s deputies’
quickest possible arrival time is 20 to 30 minutes. This is to me
very frightening.
“Now supervisor Wilder wants to cut two officers from the Sheriff’s
Department. This proposal I find ridiculous. Does she really think that
Sheriff Peters can run his department with no officers? How anyone can
think that a county as large as Murdock can get by with no police is beyond
me. I feel this proposal would be very detrimental to the safety and
protection of this county’s residents.”
2. Letter to the editor: “Andrea Keene’s selective morality is once again
showing through in her July 15 letter. This time she expresses her abhorrence
of abortion. But how we see only what we choose to see! I wonder
if any of the anti-abortionists have considered the widespread use of
fertility drugs as the moral equivalent of abortion, and, if they have,
why they haven’t come out against them, too. The use of these drugs
frequently results in multiple births, which leads to the death of one
of the infants, often after an agonizing struggle for survival. According
to the rules of the pro-lifers, isn’t this murder?”
— North-State Record
3. In one of her columns, Abigail Van Buren printed the letter of “I’d rather
be a widow.” The letter writer, a divorcée, complained about widows
who said they had a hard time coping. Far better, she wrote, to be a
widow than to be a divorcée, who are all “rejects” who have been “publicly
dumped” and are avoided “like they have leprosy.” Abby recognized
the pseudoreasoning for what it was, though she did not call it by our
name. What is our name for it?
4. Overheard: “Should school kids say the Pledge of Allegiance before class?
Certainly. Why shouldn’t they?”
5. Letter to the editor: “Once again the Park Commission is considering
closing North Park Drive for the sake of a few joggers and bicyclists.
These so-called fitness enthusiasts would evidently have us give up to
them for their own private use every last square inch of Walnut Grove.
Then anytime anyone wanted a picnic, he would have to park at the
edge of the park and carry everything in—ice chests, chairs, maybe even
grandma. I certainly hope the Commission keeps the entire park open
for everyone to use.”
6. “Some Christian—and other—groups are protesting against the placing,
on federal property near the White House, of a set of plastic figurines representing
a devout Jewish family in ancient Judaea. The protestors would
of course deny that they are driven by any anti-Semitic motivation. Still,
we wonder: Would they raise the same objections (of unconstitutionality,
etc.) if the scene depicted a modern, secularized Gentile family?”
— National Review
7. “It’s stupid to keep on talking about rich people not paying their fair
share of taxes while the budget is so far out of balance. Why, if we raised
the tax rates on the wealthy all the way back to where they were in 1980,
it would not balance the federal budget.”
— Radio commentary by Howard Miller
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Moore−Parker: Critical
Thinking, Eighth Edition
6. More Fallacies Exercises © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2007
196 CHAPTER 6 MORE FALLACIES
8. From a letter to the editor: “The counties of Michigan clearly need the
ability to raise additional sources of revenue, not only to meet the
demands of growth but also to maintain existing levels of service. For
without these sources those demands will not be met, and it will be impossible
to maintain services even at present levels.”
9. In February 1992, a representative of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico
gave a radio interview (broadcast on National Public Radio) in which he
said that the Church was against the use of condoms. Even though the
rate of AIDS infection in Puerto Rico is much higher than on the U.S.
mainland, the spokesman said that the Church could not support the use
of condoms because they are not absolutely reliable in preventing the
spread of the disease. “If you could prove that condoms were absolutely
dependable in preventing a person from contracting AIDS, then the
Church could support their use.”
10. A 1991 book by a former member of the National Security Council indicated
that supporters of Ronald Reagan may have made a deal with the
Iranians who had been holding American hostages for months. The Iranians
agreed not to release the hostages until after the 1980 election (in
which Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter), and, it was alleged, the new
administration promised to make weapons available to Iran. Here’s one
reaction to the announcement of the deal:
“I’m not surprised about Reagan’s using trickery to get himself elected
president. After all, he was nothing but an old actor, and he was used to
using Hollywood trickery to fool people during his first career.”
I don't see any of your answers. If you post your answers, someone will be glad to check them.
Question 1. Letter to the Editor, Assuming that the removal of two officers from the force will be ‘detrimental to the safety and the protection of the county’s residents’. Slippery slope.
Question 2. Letter to the Editor, The use of these drugs frequently results in multiple births, which leads to the death of one of the infants, often after an agonizing struggle for survival. According to the rules of the pro-lifers, isn’t this murder?” Loaded Question.
Question 3. Abby recognized the pseudoreasoning for what it was, though she did not call it by our
name. What is our name for it? Ad hominen
Question 4. “Should school kids say the Pledge of Allegiance before class?
Certainly. Why shouldn’t they?” Burden of Proof
Question 5. Letter to the Editor. These so-called fitness enthusiasts would evidently have us give up to them for their own private use every last square inch of Walnut Grove. Dysphemism
Question 6. “Some Christian—and other—groups are protesting against the placing, on federal property near the White House, of a set of plastic figurines representing a devout Jewish family in ancient Judaea. Euphemism
Question 7. “It’s stupid to keep on talking about rich people not paying their fair share of taxes while the budget is so far out of balance. Why, if we raised the tax rates on the wealthy all the way back to where they were in 1980, it would not balance the federal budget.” Burden of Proof
Question 8. Letter to the Editor “The counties of Michigan clearly need the ability to raise additional sources of revenue, not only to meet the demands of growth but also to maintain existing levels of service. For without these sources those demands will not be met, and it will be impossible to maintain services even at present levels.” Proof Surrogates
Question 9. In February 1992, a representative of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico gave a radio interview (broadcast on National Public Radio) in which he said that the Church was against the use of condoms. Euphemism
Question 10. “I’m not surprised about Reagan’s using trickery to get himself elected president. After all, he was nothing but an old actor, and he was used to using Hollywood trickery to fool people during his first career.” Stereotyping
Identify any examples of fallacies in the following passages. Tell why you
think these are fallacies, and identify which category they belong in, if they
fit any category we’ve described
I got a "f" after reading what you had and questioning myself! Thank you!
lol inbred cheaters , READ THE BOOK.. then use websites to cross reference... but this one is crap!!
1. In this passage, there is a fallacy called the Straw Man fallacy. The author misrepresents supervisor Wilder's proposal by exaggerating it and suggesting that she wants to completely eliminate the officers from the Sheriff's Department. This is a misrepresentation of her actual proposal, which may only involve reducing the number of officers. The fallacy category is Straw Man.
2. In this passage, there is a fallacy called Tu Quoque or "you too" fallacy. The author tries to discredit the argument against abortion by pointing out a potential inconsistency in the beliefs of anti-abortionists. The author argues that if pro-lifers consider abortion as murder, then they should also consider the use of fertility drugs resulting in the death of one of the infants as murder. This fallacy avoids engaging with the argument against abortion directly and instead attempts to dismiss it by pointing out hypocrisy. The fallacy category is Tu Quoque.
3. The name for the pseudoreasoning in this passage is Ad Hominem. The author attacks divorcées by using derogatory terms like "rejects" and suggesting that they are socially undesirable. The fallacy category is Ad Hominem.
4. In this passage, there is a fallacy called Begging the Question or Circular Reasoning. The author assumes that the Pledge of Allegiance should be said before class without providing any reasons to support the claim. The argument is circular because it presupposes the conclusion that the Pledge should be said without providing any evidence or reasoning to support it. The fallacy category is Begging the Question.
5. In this passage, there is a fallacy called Slippery Slope. The author argues that closing North Park Drive for joggers and bicyclists will result in losing access to the entire park for everyone else. This is an exaggerated and unsubstantiated prediction that assumes a chain of uncontrollable events. The fallacy category is Slippery Slope.
6. In this passage, there is a fallacy called Red Herring. The author brings up the possibility of objections to a different scenario (a modern, secularized Gentile family instead of a devout Jewish family) to distract from the original protest against the Jewish figurines. The author implies that the objections are motivated by anti-Semitism, which diverts attention from the actual arguments against the display of the figurines on federal property. The fallacy category is Red Herring.
7. In this passage, there is a fallacy called Straw Man fallacy. The author misrepresents the argument that rich people should pay their fair share of taxes by suggesting that raising tax rates on the wealthy alone would solve the problem of the unbalanced federal budget. This misrepresentation ignores the complexity of the issue and oversimplifies the argument. The fallacy category is Straw Man.
8. In this passage, there is a fallacy called Circular Reasoning. The author argues that additional sources of revenue are needed to meet the demands of growth and maintain existing levels of service. However, the author assumes that without these sources, the demands will not be met and the services cannot be maintained. This is a circular argument because it presupposes the conclusion that additional sources of revenue are necessary without providing any evidence or reasoning to support it. The fallacy category is Circular Reasoning.
9. In this passage, there is a fallacy called False Dilemma. The representative of the Catholic Church presents a false dilemma by suggesting that the use of condoms is only acceptable if they are absolutely reliable in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. This creates a false either-or choice between absolute reliability and no use at all. The fallacy category is False Dilemma.
10. In this passage, there is a fallacy called Ad Hominem. The author dismisses Ronald Reagan's actions based on their previous career as an actor and implies that his previous involvement in Hollywood indicates a propensity for trickery. This is an attack on Reagan's character rather than engaging with the substance of the allegations. The fallacy category is Ad Hominem.