PHIL 102 - Exercise 6-6 (Emotional Fallaces/Slanters)

Imagine yourself alone beside your broken-down car at the side of a country road in the middle of the night. Few pass by, and no one stops to help. Don't get caught like that. You need a No-Tel cellular telephone! Which of the following best characterizes this passage?

The passage gives someone no reason for buying a No-Tel cell phone.

Letter to the editor: "Your food section frequently features recipes with veal, and your ads say veal is a wholesome, nutritious food. Well, I have a different opinion of veal. Do you know how it comes to be on your plate? At birth, a newborn calf is separated from its mother, placed in a dark enclosure, and chained by its neck so it cannot move freely. This limits muscular development so that the animal is tender. It is kept in the dark pen until the day it is cruelly slaughtered."

appeal to pity

Former presidential chief of staff John Sununu was charged with using Air Force executive jets for frequent trips to vacation spots. In a letter to a newsmagazine, a writer observed, "What's all the fuss about? If everybody is doing it, why get excited about Sununu?"

common practice

Despite all the fancy technology that went into Sam's new car, it still gets a mere 29 miles per gallon.

downplayer

Hey, watch what you say about my car. You won't see many that old around anymore; it's a real classic.

euphemism

I was thinking: Our newspaper boy has not missed a day all year, and he always throws our paper right up here near the front door. I think I'm going to leave him an extra-large tip this Christmas. I know people who do that kind of work don't make a lot of money, and I'm sure he can use it.

nothing

Listen, Bob. I've met with the rest of our neighbors on the block, and we all agree that your yard really looks terrible. It's embarrassing to all of us. Our conclusion is that you ought to do something about it.

nothing

Text messaging teaches people to misspell and adopt the crudest style of writing possible. It's like an advanced degree in Bonehead English.

rhetorical analogy

BIKER: I refuse to buy a Japanese motorcycle. I don't believe in doing business with socialist countries. REPORTER: But Japan is not a socialist country. BIKER: Well, to me they are.

subjectivist fallacy

PROF: I gave you a D on your essay because your organization was terrible, your arguments were not relevant to the issue, and your grammar was so bad it was difficult to read. STUDENT: But how can you grade me down when that's just your own opinion of my essay?

subjectivist fallacy