Exam 3: Informal Fallacies

You have heard Congressman Doyle's arguments in favor of reduced military expenditures. But surely you won't take them seriously. Doyle, as you know, is an admitted alcoholic, and rumor has it that he abuses his wife and children.

In a random sample of 200 students from Northern State University, 150 said that they own a smartphone. Therefore, probably at least 50% of the students at Northern State own a smartphone.

Which fallacy involves a chain reaction of causes?

The Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to bear arms. Therefore it should be legal for those undercover Al Qaeda members to buy a carload of shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles.

You should never buy your child a goldfish, because next it will be a hamster and then a rabbit. After that the kid will scream for a cat, and then a dog. Next it will be a horse, then a water buffalo, and finally an elephant. The cost of pet food will drive you to the poor house.

Most elderly people who are hospitalized with cancer eventually die from the disease. Thus, if an elderly person wants to recover from cancer he or she must, at all costs, refuse hospitalization.

Adrian argues that it should be illegal for private individuals to carry concealed weapons. Obviously Adrian wants to abolish gun ownership altogether. Just go out and confiscate all the guns. That's what Adrian wants. Well, the Second Amendment gives us the right to bear arms, so Adrian's argument is ridiculous.

We know for certain that no armadillos are aardvarks. It is therefore equally certain that no aardvarks are armadillos.

Bowser, a German shepherd, had a terrible flea problem. But after one application of FleasOff, Bowser had no fleas for four months. Tango is also a German shepherd with a terrible flea problem. Therefore, FleasOff should also be useful in eliminating Tango's fleas.

Every thread in this shirt is pure silk. Therefore, this shirt is pure silk.

The Northern Express railway train is headed north. Therefore, every car on that train is headed north.

Yes, I know it's been made legal, but this idea of same-sex marriage is an abomination! The Holy Bible says that marriage is between a man and a woman. This sacred rule is engraved in the order of nature by almighty God! Who are these perverts who would undermine the sanctity of holy wedlock? Down with the gays! Away with the femiNazis!

Which fallacy occurs when a general rule is applied to a specific case that the rule was not intended to cover?

The fallacy in which the arguer attempts to lead the reader or listener off the track is:

None of Mr. Konrad's friends has ever seen him smoke a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. Therefore, probably Mr. Konrad is a nonsmoker.

Libertarians are insensitive to the plight of the poor. We know this is so because they want to abolish the minimum wage. And we know they want to do this because they want to eliminate all restrictions on hiring the poor. And of course this is true because Libertarians are insensitive to the plight of the poor.

Either you pay my tuition to Stanford or I'll be doomed to a life of mediocrity. I'm sure you don't want that.

Congressman Henderson is a tall man with brown hair and blue eyes, and he supports the upcoming bill on handguns. Congressman Wagner is also a tall man with brown hair and blue eyes. Thus, he probably supports the handgun bill, too.

The death penalty is clearly immoral. This is so because life is intrinsically valuable. And this follows from the fact that human beings are ends in themselves. And we know this is true because human beings have a right not to be killed-which follows from the fact that the state has no right to take human life. And why is this true? Because the death penalty is clearly immoral.

Ferguson's argument in favor of deregulating the banking system isn't worth a hoot. Consider this: Ferguson is a banker himself, and if banks are deregulated, he will earn millions.