fallacies

Practices for tutorial.

Part 1: Try to identify whats wrong with the following arguments. What fallacies are committed? Explain.
1. How can anyone seriously believe in evolution? I certainly don’t. How can you take seriously a theory that claims humans are just monkeys with less hair and that our ancestors were apes?

2. A recent study showed that students who cram immediately before examinations usually get lower grades than those who do not. Well, I certainly won’t make that mistake this term. I’m not even going to open a book during the exam period.

3. If you don't get to bed early, you'll be too tired to do well on the GRE tomorrow. If that happens, you won't get accepted into a decent graduate school. You’ll end up a washed-out alcoholic living in a trash-bin.

4.Two weeks after they put fluoride in St. John’s water I got sick. I had a fever and couldn’t keep solid food down. So, I switched to drinking bottled water and I recovered in a day or so. That fluoridated water is dangerous stuff.

5.War is the only way of stopping Saddam Hussein. After all, sanctions haven’t worked at all.

6. If the police knew that Bobo had a motive for the crime then he would be a suspect. But the police do not know that Bobo had a motive, therefore he's not a suspect. .
7. Undemocratic societies kill the human spirit. The reason is clear: unless the people have the power in their society,the human spirit withers.

8. Darwin's theory of evolution is just that, a theory. Theories are just speculation with no evidence behind them. We don't want our children to learn theories with no evidence behind them, so we shouldn't allow the theory of evolution to be taught in school.

9. Anyone who teaches philosophy is an obnoxious freak, so that obnoxious freak over there must be a philosophy teacher.

10. What Peter Singer said about us needing to give more to charity can't be right. After all, Singer is just another one of those obnoxious freaks.

Part 2: Which alternative is correct? Explain!

1. My family has lived in St. Etienne since records were kept. This is why I will have neither the internet nor a computer in my house.
A. Argument from doubtful or unidentified sources
B. Non Sequitur (It does not follow)
C. Either or Reasoning
D. Begging the Question or Circular Logic
E. Oversimplified or Over generalized

2. All immigrants have trouble with the law. They come from countries where thievery and lying are considered art forms.
A. Post Hoc, Proper Hoc (after this, therefore this)
B. False Analogy
C. Argument ad Hominem (attack the man)
D. Begging the Question or Circular Logic
E. Oversimplified or Over generalized
4. Ever since we installed the internet in the dorms the number of students interested in majoring in Material Science has diminished.
A. Post Hoc, Proper Hoc (after this, therefore this)
B. False Analogy
C. Argument ad Hominem (attack the man)
D. Begging the Question or Circular Logic
E. Oversimplified or Over generalized
6. How could anyone vote for Hillary Clinton for Senator? The fact that she's still married to Bill Clinton proves that she has no self respect.
A. Post Hoc, Proper Hoc (after this, therefore this)
B. False Analogy
C. Argument ad Hominem (attack the man)
D. Begging the Question or Circular Logic
E. Oversimplified or Over generalized
7. Women are shorter and younger than their husbands. Since Alan want to get married, he should begin dating shorter and younger women.
A. Argument from doubtful or unidentified sources
B. Non Sequitur (It does not follow)
C. Either or Reasoning
D. Post Hoc, Proper Hoc (after this, therefore this)
E. Oversimplified or Over generalized
8. Dinosaurs, like the T-Rex are certainly not warm blooded. It doesn't take much brainpower to see that these creatures are cold blooded reptiles.
A. Post Hoc, Proper Hoc (after this, therefore this)
B. False Analogy
C. Argument ad Hominem (attack the man)
D. Begging the Question or Circular Logic
E. Oversimplified or Over generalized
9. There was a full moon and I played two matches of rugby the week before, it is no wonder that my score on the G-MAT was low.
A. Argument from doubtful or unidentified sources
B. Non Sequitur (It does not follow)
C. Either or Reasoning
D. Post Hoc, Proper Hoc (after this, therefore this)
E. Oversimplified or Over generalized
10. "Time is money!" Ben Franklin
A. Post Hoc, Proper Hoc (after this, therefore this)
B. False Analogy
C. Argument ad Hominem (attack the man)
D. Begging the Question or Circular Logic
E. Oversimplified or Over generalized

Part 3: Select the name of the fallacy described – AND try to construct an example of this, without using the examples used in the text book, the lectures or on the internet.

1

From the list below, select the name of the rhetorical device that attacks the arguer instead of the argument.

A)
Slippery slope

B)
Begging the question

C)
False dilemma

D)
Ad hominem

E)
Burden of proof

F)
Straw man

2

From the list below, select the name of the rhetorical device that unfairly places the onus of providing evidence for a position on the wrong side of an issue.

A)
Slippery slope

B)
Begging the question

C)
False dilemma

D)
Ad hominem

E)
Burden of proof

F)
Straw man

3

From the list below, select the name of the rhetorical device that ignores an opponent's actual position and instead presents and attacks a distorted, oversimplified, or misrepresented version of that position.

A)
Slippery slope

B)
Begging the question

C)
False dilemma

D)
Ad hominem

E)
Burden of proof

F)
Straw man

4

From the list below, select the name of the rhetorical device that limits consideration to only two alternatives when there are, in fact, more than two.

A)
Slippery slope

B)
Begging the question

C)
False dilemma

D)
Ad hominem

E)
Burden of proof

F)
Straw man

5

From the list below, select the name of the rhetorical device that claims we must continue a certain course of action since we have already begun that course.

A)
Slippery slope

B)
Begging the question

C)
False dilemma

D)
Ad hominem

E)
Burden of proof

F)
Straw man

6

From the list below, select the name of the rhetorical device that tempts us to believe there is a necessary connection between one thing happening and some other thing happening when, in fact, there is no such necessary connection.

A)
Slippery slope

B)
Begging the question

C)
False dilemma

D)
Ad hominem

E)
Burden of proof

F)
Straw man

7

From the list below, select the name of the rhetorical device that asks us to accept premises that are as controversial as the conclusion being argued for and which are controversial on the same grounds.

A)
Slippery slope

B)
Begging the question

C)
False dilemma

D)
Ad hominem

E)
Burden of proof

F)
Straw man

Part 4: Construct own examples of the following fallacies (without using examples provided on internet, in text books etc).

A, Argumentum ad Misericordiam

B, False Dilemma

C, Argumentum ad Baculum

D, Argumentum ad Noviatem