Problem Set Fallacies Ins Evidence (S18 Rev)
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Ling 21 Online Problem Set #6
Fallacies of Insufficient Evidence (GELO 4, CLO 2) Instructions: Complete the following problems, and upload the completed problem set to Canvas by the specified due date/time.
I. Identifying fallacies (20 points; 1 point for fallacy/no fallacy, 1 point for explanation)
Some of the following arguments contain a fallacy of insufficient evidence. Read the argument and then do the following:
If the argument is fallacious, identify which fallacy of insufficient evidence the argument commits and briefly explain your answer.
If no fallacy is committed by the argument, write “no fallacy” and briefly explain your answer.
Assume that all of the premises in the arguments below are sound or cogent – it is your job to determine if their relationship to the argument’s conclusion is logical or fallacious
.
1.
IRS agent
: Mr. Peckinsniff, there is nothing in these documents that proves that you haven't been cheating on your taxes. Therefore, I must assume that you have been.
This argument is fallacious, and is an appeal to ignorance because the argument asserts the claim that must be true because no one has proven it false.
The relationship to the argument’s conclusion is fallacious because there is no evidence that Mr. Peckinsniff cheats on his taxes, so it is better to conclude he didn’t cheat.
2.
The correct answer to this math problem is either four or seven. I also know that the correct answer is an odd number. I'm going to say that the answer is four.
This argument is fallacious because it commits the false alternative fallacy and the arguer poses a false either/or choice.
The relationship to the argument’s conclusion is fallacious because if the correct answer is off, then the answer would be 7 because 4 is even.
3.
Either you favor unrestricted abortion on demand or you favor a constitutional amendment banning all abortions. I know you don't favor unrestricted abortion on demand. Therefore, you favor a constitutional amendment banning all abortions.
This is fallacious and is a false alternatives fallacy because the arguer poses a false either/or choice.
The relationship to the conclusion is fallacious because you can’t be against unrestricted abortion by demand and the constitutional amendment bans all abortions. There are always those who are for restricted abortion.
4.
Isabella, I know you want to go to school today, but you have the flu and you should stay home. If you go to
school, you might give the flu to some of your friends and classmates. They, in turn, might give it to their friends and classmates. Eventually, lots of students might get sick.
This argument is not fallacious because the premises provide sufficient evidence for the conclusion.
The relationship to the conclusion is logical because the flu is contagious, therefore it is likely that people will catch it from Isabella.
5.
95% of the men who were polled at Levi’s Stadium last fall before a 49er game said that they are football fans, and so are all of the students in the “Society and the NFL” class that I take at SJSU. So, it appears that almost all of the men who live in the Bay Area are football fans.
This is fallacious and is hasty generalization because it asserts that all or most things have a certain quality.
The relationship is that this is fallacious due to biased sample. Many people at the stadium are football fans.
6.
Studies conducted by reputable education organizations have shown that SAT scores correlate to the test taker’s socioeconomic status and not to his or her intelligence or education. Therefore, I would argue that the SAT does not accurately reflect the ability to succeed in college, and for that reason the SAT should not be used in deciding who gets into a college.
This argument is not fallacious because the premises provide evidence for the conclusion. The relationship to the conclusion is fallacious because the SAT is based on knowledge, not socioeconomic
Ling 21 Online Problem Set #6
Fallacies of Insufficient Evidence (GELO 4, CLO 2) status. Sometimes, those people from lower status score higher than those who are more privileged.
7.
Every time my dog barks at the front door I always find mail in my mailbox. I guess my dog has the power to make mail appear.
This argument is fallacious because it commits questionable cause fallacy, and the arguer claims that one this causes something else but there is no sufficient evidence.
The relationship to the conclusion is logical because dogs can sense when someone is outside the house, and it makes sense that there is mail when the dog barks.
8.
ABC News reported that the mayor of Toledo was killed in a plane crash today. Given the credibility of the source, the story is probably true.
This is not fallacious because there is sufficient evidence. The relationship to the conclusion is logical because
news headlining a report like that would be based on hard evidence. 9.
A watch is a complex mechanism with numerous parts precisely arranged and accurately adjusted to achieve a purpose – a purpose imposed by the watch’s designer. Likewise, the universe is complex with countless parts that fit together precisely and accurately to achieve a purpose. Therefore, the universe must also have been created by a designer – a higher power – and not by chance.
The argument is fallacious because it is weak analogy because the arguer compares two things that aren’t comparable.
The relationship to the conclusion is fallacious because it is illogical to compare two unrelated things.
10. Legislators in Texas want to make it a criminal offense for citizens not to use seat belts when they drive. Mark
my words: If they get away with this, it won't be long before they ban beer drinking and cigarette smoking. Then they will restrict our intake of cholesterol, perhaps setting up cholesterol testing sites along major highways. We must not let this infringement of our liberties get started, or there will be no stopping it.
The argument is fallacious and is slippery slope because the arguer claims that a seemingly harmless action will lead to a bad outcome without evidence.
The relationship to the conclusion is fallacious because we cannot assume that a small action will lead to drastic ones. A criminal offense for seatbelts will not lead to restriction of cholesterol.
Score Part I (out of 20): __________
II.
Finding real-life fallacies: (5 points)
Visit an internet news page such as foxnews.com, cnn.com or aljazeera.com. Find an article about a current and controversial topic. Read (or at least skim) the article and then look through the comment section. Find a reader comment that contains an argument which commits a fallacy of relevance or a fallacy of insufficient evidence (any of the fallacies that we have studied this semester). Then, do the following:
A.
Provide the title of the article and include the link to it.
B.
Provide the entire comment (you can cut and paste it).
C.
State which fallacy the comment commits and explain why it commits that fallacy.
Sample Answer:
Fallacy #1:
A.
Title; Haunting Hillary: Why the email story is spinning out of control http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/09/haunting-hillary-why-email-story-is-spinning-out-
control/
B.
Comment: Old Lady Clinton will pee her pantsuit when she is surrounded by armed FBI agents, arrested, and
threatened with 25 years in prison. OLC is toast. She'd better take Old Man Clinton's advice and lawyer up.
Ling 21 Online Problem Set #6
Fallacies of Insufficient Evidence (GELO 4, CLO 2) C.
This comment commits the personal attack fallacy because it calls Hillary Clinton an “old lady” and suggests that
she is a criminal (and that she has bad bladder control). It could also be said to contain the loaded question (more like a loaded premise) fallacy because the premise assumes without proof that Hillary Clinton has broken the law and is going to be arrested in order to support the claim that she needs to hire a lawyer (“lawyer up”).
Your Response: A.
Title: Hillary Clinton tries to explain her comments on Trump voters after backlash. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/03/18/hillary-clinton-tries-to-explain-her-comments-on-trump-
voters-after-backlash.html
B.
Comment: “The only thing that Hillary hates more than apologizing for stupid comments she makes is Bill.”
C.
This is a personal attack fallacy because the commenter is personally attacking Hillary and her husband when it is unrelated to the article.
Score Part II (out of 5): __________
Total Score (out of 25): __________
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