EXERCISE 5.10

             Determine which of the following statements are logical arguments and which are fallacies. If the statement is not logical, identify the fallacy that best applies.

1.)    Almost all the students I talked to said that they did not like the new senator. I am sure he will lose the election on Tuesday:

 Bandwagoning- The speaker believes that the senator will not win the election on Tuesday because most students do not like him.

2.)    This car has a noisy engine; therefore, it must create a lot of pollution:

Faulty Casual Generalization: Not all cars that have a noisy engine create pollution. There is no evidence to prove that because some cars can be loud and create pollution, and others might be noisy and not create pollution.

3.)    I don’t know how Professor Resnick can be such a hard grader. He is always late for classes.

Ad Hominem: Professor Resnick is given an irrelevant character flaw. He is termed “hard grader.”

4.)    A vote for the bill to limit gun sales in the city is a vote against the second amendment:

 

False Dilemma: It must not be a case that a vote for the bill to limit gun sale is a vote against the second amendment.

5.)    It’s only fair to pay your fair share of taxes: This statement is logical

6.)    I had an internship at a government agency last summer, and no one there worked very hard. Government workers are lazy

Faulty Generalization: The fact that no one worked hard during the internship does not warrant government workers to be termed “lazy.”

7.)    It’s a clear principle of law that people are not allowed to yield fire in the crowded theater. By permitting protestors to hold a rally downtown, George Cohen is allowing them to do just that.

 

Straw Man: The author has conducted and claimed victory without a logical summary of the opposing argument.

8.)    Of course, this person is guilty. He would not be in jail if he were not a criminal.

Begging the question: The speaker assumes that the person is guilty because he is in jail, it is a fact that guilty persons should be in prison, but he might have been judged wrongly

9.)    Schools are like families; therefore, teacher (like parents) should be allowed to discipline their kids

Faulty analogy: The similarities here are irrelevant because teachers and parents don’t discipline children in the same way, and schools and homes are not the same places.

10.)                        Everybody knows that staying out in the rain can make you sick.

 Faulty Generalization: What if I think otherwise?

11.)                        When we had a draft in the 1960s, the crime rate was low. We should bring back the draft.

 Faulty Analogy: The fact that the draft reduced crime in the 1960s is not evidenced that it will work this year.

12.)                        I am not a doctor, but I play one on T.V. I recommend Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup.

Non Sequitur: There is no logical relationship between playing a doctor on T.V. and recommending it.

13.)                         Some people are complaining about public schools, so they must be a problem.

Bandwagoning: The speaker assumes that public schools have a problem because some people are complaining about it.

14.)                         If you are not part of a solution, you are part of the problem

False Dilemma: Pressuring someone to make a decision.

15.)                         All people are mortal. James is a person. Therefore, James is a mortal: This statement is logical.

16.)                        I do not know why you gave me an F for handing in someone else's essay. Don’t you ever copy something from someone else?

Complex Question: The person to whom the question cannot answer yes or no without implicating himself.

17.)                         First, the government stops us from buying assault rifles. Then, it limits the number of handguns we can buy. What will come next? Soon, they will try to take away all our guns.

Logical: This is logical because if the government has stopped the purchasing of rifles, then limiting the number of handguns to buy, that means the government is in the process of banning the use of guns.

18.)                        Shakespeare was the world's greatest playwright. Therefore, Macbeth must be a good play.

Non Sequitur: There is no logical relationship between the two ideas. Shakespeare might have been a great play writer, but Macbeth must not necessarily be a great play.

19.)                         Last month, I bought a new computer. Yesterday, I installed a new software. This morning, my computer would not startup. The new software must be causing the problem.

Faulty Causal General: The fact that the problem followed the installation of the new software does not mean that it must be the cause of the problem.

20.)                        Ellen DeGeneres is against test pharmaceutical and cosmetic products on animals, and that good enough for me Bandwagoning: It is good because Ellen DeGeneres is for it.