ARW: Spot the fallacies

Dear ACers,

I am sending this 'Spot the Fallacies' handout by email as a number of students were absent from class on Friday. As always, if you were absent you need to contact your buddy to find out what you need to do.

Have a good weekend!

Owen

Spot the Fallacies
A. Map the claim, evidence, & assumption
B. Identify which of the following arguments contain errors. Name the error (the fallacy) present e.g. sweeping generalisation (Use LBH 100-102)

1. A truly successful marriage demands a maturity that few people under twenty-five possess.

2. Since all kittens have fur and this animal has fur, it must be a kitten.

3. Employees are like nails. Just as nails must be hit on the head in order to make them work, so must employees.

4. My sister Gloria is convinced that superstition can be a positive force. "It gives you a sense of control by making you think you can work out what's going to happen next," she says. "And it also makes you feel lucky. To take a risk or to enter into a chancy situation, you really have to believe in your own luck. In that sense, it's a very useful way of thinking, because the alternative is fatalism, which is to say, 'Oh, there's nothing I can do.' At least superstition makes people do things."

5. According to a local plumber, John Smith, the Toto® toilet is the best in the world in terms of flushability, water savings and resale value.

6. German people aren't good at dancing.

7. A good student is like a cat. Cats, like good students, are curious but skeptical. Cats also remain aloof until they are convinced by good evidence that something is reliable. Most of all, cats are loyal and friendly if you give them food to eat and if you drop them, they always land on their feet. They really like it when you scratch behind their ears. However, if you step on their tails, they don't like that.

8. I asked three of my friends what they thought of the new classroom building that will be built next year, and they agreed it is a good idea. The plan is therefore generally popular.

9. If we don't drill for more oil, we will have an energy crisis.

10. A large number students were late for class during C-week, including many students who are never late. The slightly different schedule is most likely the cause of most of the late arrivals.

11. John has been proven to be a liar numerous times, so I don't accept John's arguments about capital punishment.

12. Overweight smokers often have heart disease.

13. People watch television because they are too lazy to talk or read or because they want mindless escape from their lives.

14. Racial tension frequently occurs when people with different backgrounds are forced to live side by side in extreme conditions.

15. Students' persistent complaints about the grading system prove that it is unfair.

16. Most Asian young people in America tend be very good students. Statistics show that Asians, particularly the children of immigrants, outperform other minorities in all academic areas.

17. Tens of thousands of Japanese have seen lights in the night sky which they could not identify. The existence of life on other planets is fast becoming certainty!

18. That type of car is poorly made; a friend of mine has one, and it continually gives him trouble.

19. Tomoko is riding her bike in Tokyo. A car comes up behind her and the driver starts beeping his horn and then tries to force her off the road. As it speeds passes her, she sees that the car has a Wakayama license plate and concludes that all Wakayama drivers are jerks.

20. We need a strong military in order to deter our enemies. If you don't support this new spending bill to develop better airplanes, our enemies will think we are weak and, at some point, will attack us - killing millions.

21. Who cares what you think about movies? You're just an ignorant American who doesn't know anything about real culture.

22. Atheism is an evil philosophy. It is practised by Communists and murderers.

23. Cell phone use should be outlawed while driving because this behavior causes accidents. In fact, in the past year in Los Angeles it was determined to be a major cause in over 30,000 accidents. According to Ben Gibson of the Insurance Investigation Bureau, it is by far the single leading cause of automobile accidents.

24. "Smoking cigarettes is dangerous, but nearly everything in life has some danger, such as driving a car or crossing the street. So, if you are willing to drive a car, you should also be willing to smoke."

25. The war in Iraq is the same as the war in Vietnam, so the US should withdraw military forces as soon as possible because they can't win.

26. In a recent survey at ICU, 450 first year students replied that Program Wide Tests were a major source of stress and should be eliminated. This common opinion should be taken into account when curriculum changes are being considered this fall.