Logic Midterm 1 (Chapter 3)
Children should be seen and not heard. Therefore, it was wrong for that drowning child to scream for help.
Accident
The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech for everyone. Therefore, children have a right to sass their parents.
Accident
The president of our college has promised to stop drinking on campus. Apparently the president has a drinking problem.
Amphiboly
This pamphlet from the hospital says I should eat right before surgery. Apparently I should go into the operating room with a full stomach.
Amphiboly
The ad for the Ajax house cleaning service reads "Never clean again." Obviously you should never hire that service, because if you do, your house will never be clean again.
Amphiboly.
You had better believe in God, because if you don't, then you'll suffer the torment of eternal damnation.
Appeal to force.
Nobody has ever proved that the universe wasn't created in six days. Therefore, we must conclude that the universe was indeed created in six days, just like it says in Genesis.
Appeal to ignorance
Poor Scooter Libby should never have been sent to jail for lying to a grand jury. Scooter is an honorable man. He devoted his whole life to working for his country. One administration after another asked for his help. And Scooter was always there, ready to serve. Scooter deserved a medal—not jail time.
Appeal to pity
Can you believe that some parents want to control their kids' access to the Internet? Who are these autocrats who insist on imposing their views on others? This country was born in a spirit of freedom and self determination. Countless patriots have died to preserve our sacred values. We must cherish those values! We must nurture them in our children! End all mind control now and forever!
Appeal to the people
Practically all the students in Professor Kane's English class copy their term papers from the Internet. Therefore, since you're in that class, you should do this, too.
Appeal to the people
The U.S. has a right to eradicate dictatorships wherever it finds them. Dictators crush the right of self-governance given by God to all of his children. Dictators suppress liberty and freedom. They sacrifice the lives of their people to satisfy their own corrupt aims and desires. Dictators are vile monsters! They embody the power of Satan wherever they dwell. Down with dictatorships everywhere!
Appeal to the people
Practically everyone has driven home at one time or other after having had a few drinks. Therefore, you shouldn't have any problem with driving home now, even though you're a bit tipsy.
Appeal to the people.
Mr. Quigley, who is a lobbyist for the oil industry, says that the government should subsidize oil exploration. In view of Mr. Quigley's credentials, it follows that the government should certainly do this.
Appeal to unqualified authority
April Bradley's arguments in favor of solar power are hardly worth listening to. After all, look where she graduated from—Northeast Texas State. That's hardly Ivy League. And look at how she dresses. Yuck!
Argument against the person, abusive.
Pauline's argument for stricter drug laws is as worn out as she is. Her brain has practically calcified, she can hardly remember anything, and she confuses the letter carrier with the gardener. I'm afraid we'll just have to pass over her argument.
Argument against the person, abusive.
Benny has argued for a long time for a new national park in Montana, but you really shouldn't listen to him. Benny owns a general store in the proposed vicinity, and if the park is created, he stands to profit handsomely from the flow of visitors.
Argument against the person, circumstantial.
The government has no right to spy on its citizens because citizens have a right to privacy. And this is true because such a right is guaranteed by the Constitution—which follows from the fact that our founding fathers recognized the sanctity of individual privacy against the intrusive power of the government. And of course this is true because the government has no right to spy on its citizens.
Begging the Question
Whoever is vain is hardhearted because if they weren't hardhearted they wouldn't be vain.
Begging the question
The Bible is unquestionably true because deep in my heart I feel that it is.
Begging the question.
My goodness, Jackie, I haven't seen you since high school. Tell me, are you still as vain as you used to be?
Complex Question
An instant has no duration. But an hour is composed of instants. Therefore, an hour has no duration.
Composition
Every hair on Tony's head will fall out within five years. Therefore, Tony will be bald within five years.
Composition
Every member of the Viking Society was born in Norway. Therefore, the Viking Society was born in Norway.
Composition.
The song "I lost My Love in Nashville" is very sad. But every song is composed of notes. Therefore, every note in that song is very sad.
Division
This cherry pie is delicious. Therefore, every ingredient in this pie is delicious.
Division
After spending an entire day fishing, Terry came back with a large minnow. But every minnow is a fish. Therefore, Terry came back with a large fish.
Equivocation
Astronomers study stars. Nicole Kidman is a star. Therefore, astronomers study Nicole Kidman.
Equivocation
Attorney Jane Welch has over 20 suits. Therefore, her wardrobe must be rather substantial.
Equivocation
Irving is a wonderful cook. But every cook is a human being. Therefore, Irving is a wonderful human being.
Equivocation
Performance enhancing drugs are banned from professional sports. But Viagra is a performance enhancing drug. Therefore, Viagra is banned from professional sports.
Equivocation
After eating a Big Mac for breakfast, poor Steve had a heart attack and died. The message is clear: Never eat a Big Mac for breakfast.
False Cause
My friend Connie used a green Bic pen to solve the problems on her last algebra test, and after the test was graded she got an A. So if you want to get an A in algebra, you should work all the test problems with a green Bic pen.
False Cause
Shortly after retiring from his job, Mr. Lopez had a heart attack and died. The same thing happened to Mrs. Harris. I think the message is clear: Whatever you do, never retire from your job.
False Cause
The number of alcoholics has risen steadily for the past 20 years, and so has the number of treatment centers. Therefore, to cut down on alcoholism we should eliminate the treatment centers.
False Cause
Old Mrs. Fogarty has won at Bingo on the last six weekends, which is quite remarkable. Therefore, she is almost certain to lose next weekend.
False cause
Either you spend $200 on a pair of True Religion jeans, or everybody will think you're out of style. It's up to you.
False dichotomy
Either you vote for Senator Rogers or you don't care about the environment. The choice is yours.
False dichotomy
Some tunes are oldies and some oldies are classics. Therefore, some tunes are classics.
Formal Fallacy
If cleaner cars are produced, then there will be fewer greenhouse gasses. There will be fewer greenhouse gasses. Therefore, cleaner cars will be produced.
Formal fallacy
If U.S. Presidents start more wars, then the U.S. will go broke. If U.S. Presidents start more wars, then every country will boycott U.S. products. Therefore, if every country boycotts U.S. products, then the U.S. will go broke.
Formal fallacy.
Carol has a Rottweiler dog, and it attacked and seriously injured one of her neighbors. David has a Rottweiler and it chewed up his wife. The conclusion is obvious that Rottweilers are just plain vicious.
Hasty generalization
Jim, it's clear that you want that job with the Acme accounting agency. Therefore, to improve your chances, you should tell the interviewer that if he doesn't give you the job you will kidnap one of his children.
Missing the point
More and more cars in this state are unable to pass the fuel emissions test. Therefore, it seems clear we should relax the emissions standard.
Missing the point
Bowser, a German shepherd, had a terrible flea problem. But after one application of FleasOff, Bowser had no fleas for four months. Tango is also a German shepherd with a terrible flea problem. Therefore, FleasOff should also be useful in eliminating Tango's fleas.
No Fallacy
Barbara lost 15 pounds after taking the new InstaThin supplement for 6 weeks. Tiffany has the same metabolism, lifestyle, diet, body type, age, height and former weight as Barbara. Therefore, probably Tiffany could lose about 15 pounds if she takes InstaThin for 6 weeks.
No fallacy
Connor hasn't a shred of athletic ability, and he does well even to breathe. Therefore, he couldn't have swum across Diamond Lake, as he claims to have done. After all, the lake is 3 miles across.
No fallacy
Dr. David Sherman of the National Skin Cancer Society reports that tanning salons pose a serious risk for skin cancer. Therefore, we should consider legislation to regulate the tanning industry.
No fallacy
Dr. Sylvia Newman, the world famous biochemist, says that the widespread use of pesticides poses a serious threat to public health. Therefore, we should take this warning seriously and investigate further the extent of the threat.
No fallacy
Either Coleridge or Longfellow wrote the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." But it certainly wasn't Longfellow. Therefore, Coleridge wrote it.
No fallacy
Either Honda or Nissan makes the Altima. But it isn't Honda. Therefore Nissan makes the Altima.
No fallacy
Either Kansas or Ohio is situated on the Mississippi River. But Ohio is not on the Mississippi. Therefore, it must be Kansas.
No fallacy
Every component in this table is made of wood. Therefore, the entire table is made of wood.
No fallacy
Every squirrel that has ever been observed likes nuts. Therefore, probably every squirrel likes nuts.
No fallacy
Every tile on this kitchen floor is light blue in color. Therefore, the entire floor is light blue in color.
No fallacy
I know that Harper is a millionaire, but he couldn't have earned that money all by himself—at least not honestly. Harper is a total fool without a shred of business sense, and he wastes every spare nickel on idiotic video games.
No fallacy
If a piece of jewelry is ugly, then it won't sell. Therefore, if a piece of jewelry sells, then it isn't ugly.
No fallacy
In a random sample of 200 students from Northern State University, 150 said that they own a smartphone. Therefore, probably at least 50% of the students at Northern State own a smartphone.
No fallacy
In his testimony to the grand jury, Steve Porter said that the CEO of the Syntex Corporation conspired with the CFO to defraud investors. Therefore, since Porter is in a position to know and has no reason to lie, we can conclude that these officers did indeed engage in such a conspiracy.
No fallacy
It's not possible that Jessica prepared this delicious meal all by herself. Jessica is too stupid to read a cookbook, she can't measure anything, she has absolutely no sense of taste, and she doesn't even know how to boil water.
No fallacy
No spoiled brats are good childhood companions. Therefore, no good childhood companions are spoiled brats.
No fallacy
Nobody has ever heard a monkey talk. Therefore, probably monkeys don't talk.
No fallacy
Nobody has ever seen Tyler play football, baseball, or go skiing or swimming, or engage in any other sport. Probably Tyler doesn't engage in sports.
No fallacy
Randy, you have a good eye. Tell me: Do you think this dress makes me look too fat?
No fallacy
Some halfwits manage to succeed in business. Therefore, some people who manage to succeed in business are halfwits.
No fallacy
The Ionic Blast hairdryer does a great job removing the frizz from Francesca's hair. Therefore, since Gabriella's hair is virtually identical to Francesca's, probably the Ionic Blast would do a good job removing the frizz from Gabriella's hair.
No fallacy
The Northern Express railway train is headed north. Therefore, every car on that train is headed north..
No fallacy
This cup of coffee contains caffeine. Therefore, every spoonful of it contains caffeine.
No fallacy
Pet owners argue for a law to ensure that pet food is free of lethal contaminants. Apparently they are unaware that half the children of the world eat contaminated food and drink polluted water every day. Thousands of these kids die regularly from cholera. The nations of the world should unite to halt this ongoing tragedy. In the mean time, we can forget about pets.
Red Herring
Betty is opposed to capital punishment by lethal injection. But doctors inject patients with all sorts of medicines every day. For example, vaccines against flu, pneumonia, and tetanus are injected into millions of patients. Antibiotics are injected for a whole host of bacterial infections, and insulin is injected for diabetes. Obviously Betty's views are not supported by the evidence.
Red herring
Senator Dawson argues in favor of legalizing marijuana. But did you know that the senator has been married three times? And his last divorce was a real doozie. His wife went on and on about their sex life. Apparently the Senator is no good in bed. Enough about that issue ... . Shall we move on?
Red herring
Whatever you do, never buy a lottery ticket. If you do, soon you'll be betting on horses. Next it will be slot machines in Las Vegas, and then black jack and high stakes poker. In the end you'll be totally broke.
Slippery Slope
Your little Tommy wants a slingshot for his birthday, but you shouldn't give him one. If you do, next he'll want a B-B gun. Then a 22 rifle. After that it will be a high powered rifle, and then an Uzi and an AK-47. Soon he'll want a bazooka and after that an antiaircraft gun. In no time your home will become an armory.
Slippery slope
Frank Larsen argues for stricter gun control. It appears that Frank wants to abolish access to guns altogether. But if law-abiding citizens can't own a gun, then they will have no means of defending themselves against criminals. Obviously Frank's argument is no good.
Straw man
Karen argues that it's not right to post the photographs of convicted child molesters on the Internet. Obviously Karen supports child molestation. But these monsters have completely ruined the lives of thousands of children. They can't be allowed to wreak their havoc any longer. Clearly, Karen's argument is misguided.
Straw man
Sheri argues in favor of reducing the Defense Department budget. It appears what Sheri wants is no Defense Department at all. But without a Defense Department, we would have no army, navy, or air force, and any foreign nation could invade our country at will. Clearly we can't allow this. Thus, Sheri's argument is crazy.
Straw man
Global warming has never been a big problem in the past. Therefore, it won't be a big problem in the future.
Suppressed evidence
Umbrella repair has been a dependable job for most of the past 500 years. Therefore, it should be a dependable job for the next 500 years.
Suppressed evidence
Anyone who fails a drivers test is allowed to retake it. But a calculus test is no less of a test than a drivers test. Therefore, anyone who fails a calculus test should be allowed to retake it.
Weak analogy
Those boarding a bus are never required to pass through a security checkpoint. Therefore, those boarding an airliner should not be required to pass through a security checkpoint.
Weak analogy
Carol's arguments against abortion aren't worth a hoot. I have it on good evidence that Carol got an abortion herself after a high school sweetheart got her pregnant.
You, too (tu quoque)
when arguer misinterprets an ambiguous statement and draws a conclusion based on this faulty interpretation
amphiboly
when arguer creates the illusion that inadequate premises provide adequate support for the conclusion by leaving out a possibly shaky premise "but how do you know, X?"
begging the question
when conclusion depends on the (wrongly) transference from parts to whole
composition
when conclusion depends on the (wrongly) transference from whole to parts
division
when a conclusion depends on a word or phrase used in 2 different senses
equivocation
(either, or) only two unlikely alternatives are presented
false dichotomy
when the arguer ignores clear implications of an argument to push a different conclusion that only vaguely relates at best
missing the point
when the arguer changes the subject within an argument in order to prevent the listener or reader from realizing a conclusion doesn't really follow from the original premises
red herring
attacking an argument that is logically irrelevant to opponents real argument
straw man
when an inductive argument ignores evidence
suppressed evidence
