(I) Exercise 3.2 Fallacies of Relevance

Red Herring

Animal rights activists say that animals are abused in biomedical research labs. But consider this: Pets are abused by their owners every day. Probably 25 percent of pet owners should never get near animals. Some cases of abuse are enough to make you sick.

Straw man

Brewing magnate Joseph Coors has argued that government should get off the back of the American businessman. Obviously, Coors wants to abolish government altogether. Yet without government there would be no defense, no judicial system, no Social Security, and no health and safety regulations. None of us wants to forgo these benefits. Thus we can see that Coors's argument is absurd

Argument against the person (argumentum ad hominem - tu quoque)

Dr. Morrison has argued that smoking is responsible for the majority of health problems in this country and that every smoker who has even the slightest concern for his or her health should quit. Unfortunately, however, we must consign Dr. Morrison's argument to the trash bin. Only yesterday I saw none other than Dr. Morrison himself smoking a cigar.

Argument against the person (argumentum ad hominem - circumstantial)

Former football star Joe Namath says on television that Flexall 454 is the best thing to relieve muscle pain. But Namath is paid thousands of dollars to make these ads. Therefore, we should not take his testimonials too seriously.

Argument against the person (argumentum ad hominem - abusive)

Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy is not worth the paper it's printed on. Nietzsche was an immoral reprobate who went completely insane from syphilis before he died.

appeal to force (argumentum ad baculum)

I know that some of you oppose the appointment of David Cole as the new sales manager. Upon further consideration, however, I am confident you will find him well qualified for the job. If Cole is not appointed, it may become necessary to make severe personnel cutbacks in your department.

No fallacy

If 20 percent of adult Americans are functionally illiterate, then it's no wonder that morons get elected to public office. In fact, 20 percent of adult Americans are functionally illiterate. Therefore, it's no wonder that morons get elected to public office.

appeal to the people (argumentum ad populum - direct)

Ladies and gentlemen, today the lines of battle have been drawn. When the din of clashing armor has finally died away, the Republican party will emerge victorious! We are the true party of the American people! We embody the values that all real Americans hold sacred! We cherish and protect our founding fathers' vision that gave birth to the Constitution! We stand for decency and righteousness; for self-determination and the liberty to conduct our affairs as each of us freely chooses! In the coming election, victory will be ours, so help us God!

Missing the point (Ignoratio Elenchi)

Mr. Rhodes is suffering from amnesia and has no recollection whatever of the events of the past two weeks. We can only conclude that he did not commit the crime of murdering his wife a week ago, as he has been accused of doing. We can conclude that Mr. Rhodes really is suffering from amnesia or he is lying. In either case, his amnesia is irrelevant to whether he did or did not kill his wife and whether he will be convicted of murder.. A public trial will be held to ascertain whether or not he did, in fact, kill his wife.

Appeal to the people (argumentum ad populum - appeal to vanity)

Of course you want to buy a pair of Slinky fashion jeans. Slinky jeans really show off your figure, and all the Hollywood starlets down on the Strip can be seen wearing them these days.

Argument against the person (argumentum ad hominem - circumstantial)

Paula Anderson, spokesperson for State Farm Insurance, has argued that jury awards for pain and suffering should be severely limited. But this is exactly what you would expect her to say. After all, attorney fees come out of these awards, and if the awards are limited, no one will ever sue her company.

Argument against the person (argumentum ad hominem - abusive)

Professor Pearson's arguments in favor of the theory of evolution should be discounted. Pearson is a cocaine-snorting sex pervert and, according to some reports, a member of the Communist party.

Argument against the person (argumentum ad hominem -circumstantial)

Publishing magnate Steve Forbes has argued at length that the fairest kind of income tax is a flat tax. But Forbes is a billionaire, and he stands to save millions of dollars if a flat tax is enacted. Therefore, we can hardly take Forbes's arguments seriously.

No Fallacy

Rudolf Hoss, commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, confessed to having exterminated one million people, most of whom were Jews, in the Auschwitz gas chamber. We can only conclude that Hoss was either insane or an extremely evil person.

Straw man

Senator Barrow advocates increased Social Security benefits for the poor. It is regrettable that the senator finds it necessary to advocate socialism. Socialism defeats initiative, takes away promised rewards, and leads directly to inefficiency and big government. It was tried for years in Eastern Europe, and it failed miserably. Clearly, socialism is no good.

Missing the point (ignoratio elenchi)

Something is seriously wrong with high school education these days. After ten years of decline, SAT scores are still extremely low, and high school graduates are practically incapable of reading and writing. The obvious conclusion is that we should close the schools. The point is that we should improve the schools—not close them.

Appeal to pity (argumentum ad misericordiam)

Surely architect Norris is not responsible for the collapse of the Central Bank Tower. Norris has had nothing but trouble lately. His daughter eloped with a child molester, his son committed suicide, and his alcoholic wife recently left for Las Vegas with his retirement savings.

Appeal to force (argumentum ad baculum)

Surely you welcome the opportunity to join our protective organization. Think of all the money you will lose from broken windows, overturned trucks, and damaged merchandise in the event of your not joining.

Accident

The First Amendment to the Constitution prevents the government from interfering with the free exercise of religion. The liturgical practice of the Religion of Internal Enlightenment involves human sacrifice. Therefore, it would be wrong for the government to interfere with this religious practice.

Argument against the person (argumentum ad hominem - tu quoque)

The editors of the Daily Register have accused our company of being one of the city's worst water polluters. But the Daily Register is responsible for much more pollution than we are. After all, they own the Western Paper Company, and that company discharges tons of chemical residue into the city's river every day.

Appeal to Pity (Argumentum ad Misericordiam)

The position open in the accounting department should be given to Frank Thompson. Frank has six hungry children to feed, and his wife desperately needs an operation to save her eyesight.

Red Herring

The school board argues that our schools are in desperate need of repair. But the real reason our students are falling behind is that they spend too much time with their computers. Becoming educated means a lot more than learning how to point and click. The school board should send a letter to the parents urging them to monitor their kids' computer time.

Red Herring

We've all heard the argument that too much television is the reason our students can't read and write. Yet, many of today's TV shows are excellent. ''Seinfeld'' explores important issues facing single people, ''E.R.'' presents medical professionals in life-and-death situations, and ''60 Minutes'' exposes a great variety of scams and illegal practices. Today's TV is just great!

Accident

Whoever thrusts a knife into another person should be arrested. But surgeons do precisely this when operating. Therefore, surgeons should be arrested.

Appeal to the people (argumentum ad hominem - appeal to snobbery)

You should read Irving Stone's latest novel right away. It's sold over a million copies, and practically everyone in the Manhattan cocktail circuit is talking about it.