Warm up 1.25.16: Identify the Logical Fallacy at Work in the Examples Below
Warm up 1.25.16: Identify the logical fallacy at work in the examples below.
1. Some politicians claim we should raise taxes, but you can’t listen to them because they are just greedy opportunists.
2. The pope is infallible because everything he says is true.
3. You had better vote for an increase in taxes or the country will fall apart.
4. There have been no reported cases of the Zika virus in Houston; therefore, Houston must be free from the Zika virus.
5. I prayed that there would be no school tomorrow, and then it snowed and school got cancelled. God really does answer prayers!
Answers:
1. Ad hominem
2. Circular reasoning
3. Either/Or
4. Hasty generalization
5. Post hoc ergo propter hoc
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Warm Up 1.26.16: Identify the logical fallacies in the statements below.
1. An increase in “green practices” in cities like Chicago and New York has resulted in the return of many native species like river otters, beavers, hawks, and coyotes. Soon you are going to have to watch out for cougars in the parking garages, and then moose in your apartment elevators, and then bears rummaging through your kitchen cabinets!
2. You claim that many engineers need more practice in writing, but I would like to remind you how difficult it is to master all the math and drawing skills that an engineer requires.
3. My opponent keeps advocating for more gun-control legislation. What I want to know is why does he want to take all guns away from responsible citizens and put them into the hands of the criminals?
4. In three of the last six years, Boston has experienced very typical winter snowfalls. Global warming is not a problem here. [This report does not mention that Boston has also experienced record lows during those winters as well extreme heat during the last four summers.]
Answers:
6. Slippery Slope
7. Red Herring
8. Straw Man
9. Slanting
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Warm up 1.27.16—Identify the logical fallacy used in each of the following arguments.
6. Baking a cake is just like math. You add in ¼ a cup of this and a ½ a teaspoon of that, and if you follow the instructions, then you get the perfect cake. If you don’t follow everything exactly, you will get a bad cake.
7. Hundreds of millions of people have been Christians, devoutly following the religion and even dying for it. How could that be possible if Christianity weren't true?
8. You say that raising taxes will result in better public services, but hardly anyone believes that these days.
9. Junk food companies are fighting tougher restrictions in the U.S. by claiming that more restrictions will kill jobs. But the question is—would you rather kill jobs or children?
Answers:
1. False Analogy
2. Ad Populum
3. Ad Populum
4. Red Herring & Either/Or