Fallacies.

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Western Michigan University *

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2200

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Philosophy

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Oct 30, 2023

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docx

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For each of the following, describe what, if any, fallacy the passage commits. Explain your answer. (Two marks each) 1. The Surgeon General says that abortion is immoral, so it is. Appeal to Authority ,relies on the authority of the Surgeon General to support the claim that abortion is immoral without providing any independent evidence or reasoning to establish the immorality of abortion. 2. There are more Buddhists than followers of any other religion, so Buddhism is more likely to be true. Appeal to popularity, It suggests that the truth of a religion is determined by the number of its followers, which is not a valid criterion for assessing the truth or validity of a belief system. 3. Bob isn't guilty, because twelve jurors, who saw all the evidence, agreed on a verdict of not guilty. Appeal to popularity,It implies that Bob is not guilty solely based on the unanimous verdict of the jurors, without considering the possibility of errors in the legal process or the need for a more comprehensive evaluation of the evidence. 4. Surely we should find her innocent; she's the sole support for a family with five children. Appeal to Pity, It argues for finding someone innocent based on the emotional appeal of their situation, rather than presenting a valid argument or evidence related to their guilt or innocence. 5. Incest must be immoral, because it has been viewed as immoral for many centuries. Appeal to tradition, It assumes that because incest has been viewed as immoral for many centuries, it must be immoral without providing a rational argument or evidence to support this claim. 6. Republicans claim to have the interests of the middle class at heart. But I have no doubt that they're lying about this; I think they are only interested in benefiting the wealthy. So we have yet another case in which republicans lie to the American public. Ad Hominem, It attacks the credibility of Republicans by suggesting that they are lying without addressing their actual arguments or policies, which is a diversionary tactic rather than a substantive critique. 7. When Fred argues at a fraternity meeting that his house should admit women, another member announces, “Let me remind you all that Fred held exactly the opposite position

last year.” Tu Quoque, It attempts to undermine Fred's argument by pointing out a past inconsistency in his views rather than addressing the merits of his current argument. 8. The question of whether to engage in military intervention is simple. Either we engage in a full-scale assault or we sit on our hands while innocent people are slaughtered. We must send in the ground troops. False Dichotomy, two extreme options, one being full-scale assault or doing nothing.This suggests that one must be chosen without considering other options. 9. Gravitational theory is preposterous. It claims that everything is pulled towards everything else, but then, if angels exist, they would be attracted to all the planets. That’s ludicrous. Gravitational theory must be false. Straw Man, It misrepresents gravitational theory by suggesting that it implies that angels would be attracted to planets, which is not a valid or accurate representation of the theory. 10. You keep telling me that excessive drinking is bad for you; but I'm not listening to you, since you drink a pint of vodka a day. Ad Hominem Tu Quoque, It attempts to discredit the speaker's advice about excessive drinking by pointing out their own drinking habits, which is a diversion from addressing the health risks of excessive drinking.

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