Phil fallacy

People like fresh food. So my rat pizza will be a big hit at the party, since I bagged the little suckers just this morning!

As a rule, people like their favorite foods to be fresh. This doesn't apply to digusting food, such as rat meat. Accident.

"China consumes more food than any other nation on Earth. So Chinese people must be the most obese individuals on Earth."

Claims that because China as a nation eats a lot, individual Chinese do. Division.

Luisa: "My house is haunted. It is full of ghosts."Maria: "What is your proof?"Luisa: "My proof is that in all of human history, nobody has found any evidence that ghosts don't exist."

Luisa offers no proof for her dubious claim, but says instead that nobody can prove ghosts don't exist. Appeal to ignorance.

Fred has argued that raising taxes will lead to another recession. But Fred's a billionaire, so naturally he's going to take that view."

Fred is subtly being accused of being biased because he is rich. But biased people can be right. Appeal to hate.

Fred: I think that the police should just shoot all gang members on sight. Sam: Isn't that just a bit harsh? I mean surely we have to provide fair trials... Fred: Take a hike, cupcake!

Fred replies to Sam's legitimate criticism by telling him to get lost. Pooh-poohing.

Headline: Elderly Often Burn Victims.

Headline can be read as the elderly go out and set fire to people, or (more plausibly) that the elderly are often the victims of burning. Equivocation.

Luisa: "My house is haunted. It is full of ghosts."Maria: "What is your evidence?"Luisa: "Well, what is your evidence that there aren't any ghosts in my house?"

Luisa offers no proof for her dubious claim but demands that Maria prove her wrong. However, the burden of proof lies upon the person making the claim. Shifting the burden of proof.

Linda: Jerry, do you love me? Jerry: Of course--I love everybody! Love is the answer to all the world's problems!

Jerry knows that Linda wants to know if he loves her romantically, but he jokingly says he loves everyone (meaning in the sense of brotherly love). Ignoring the issue.

Smith: "Our government has become too big to be responsive to the needs of the people. Moreover, the bureaucrats in power act only in their own interests, not ours."Jones: "I'm glad to hear that you think our government is responsive, and that our bureaucrats are interesting."

Jones changes Smith's criticism of government into praise of government by omitting some of Smith's works. Accent.

"Jones can run the half-mile in two minutes; therefore, he can run the mile in four minutes."

Jones might get tired in the second half of the mile, so not keep up the pace. Composition.

Juan: "C'mon, girl, hook up with me tonight." Anna: "Why should I?" Juan: "Why shouldn't you?"

Juan doesn't prove that Anna should meet him, he instead asks her to prove she shouldn't. Shifting the burden of proof.

Roberto: "Look, there is a problem of evil you should acknowledge. You say that God is all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful. Yet babies often die of dreadful illnesses. He must know of their suffering. He must care about their suffering. And he must be able to stop their suffering. But the suffering continues."Marco: "Whatever, dude. I mean, what a silly argument."

Marco dismisses Roberto's reasonable argument by calling it "silly." Pooh-poohing.

Luisa: "You better watch out! That ladder isn't as safe as it looks!"Maria: "I'm glad to hear you say that the ladder is safe."

Maria distorted what Luisa said by leaving out the words "isn't as" and "as it looks.". Accent.

Fred: "Ted, why do you claim that astronauts never landed on the moon?" Ted: "Because Mayor Tina Louise says so, and she doesn't lie." Fred: "How do you know she doesn't lie?" Ted: "Because she tells the unvarnished truth, and is totally honest in her statements."

No actual evidence is given that Mayor Tina Louise doesn't lie, it just repeated in different words. Begging the question.

"Why do I think that the President is incompetent? Because he can't accomplish anything, no matter how hard he tries. His is absolutely unable to succeed at even the simplest things."

No actual evidence is given that the President is incompetent. Instead, it is built into the phrases "can't accomplish anything" and "absolutely unable to succeed." Begging the Question.

Ad in magazine: "The Play Box Ultimo is the number one game console in America. Your friends probably own their own ones already. What are you waiting for?"

No evidence is given that the play Box Ultimo is a good purchase other than it sells a lot—which could be due to better advertising. Appeal to the crowd.

"A mob is no more dangerous than the individuals that make it up."

People in a mob may not be dangerous as individuals, but when they together they may spur each other on to violence. Composition.

Why are Americans so eager to excuse crime?"

Presupposes that Americans are eager to excuse crime. Loaded question

Senator Jones is now saying that big corporations shouldn't pay more taxes. That's what you'd expect from a senator who's lived in Washington for a couple of years and has forgotten all about the people back home.

Rather than talk about Senator Jones' views about corporate taxes, the speaker criticizes where the Senator live. Appeal to hate/attacking the person.

Liquor ad: You've made your mark in the world, and your vodka says it all!

Rather than tell you why its vodka is better than others, the ad appeals to your snobbery. Appeal to the crowd.

Reporter: "Mr. Burns, as Secretary of the Fed, you are a major authority on international banking. Many of our listeners want to know whether you believe that the Illuminati are in control of America's biggest banks?"Secretary Burns: "Don't ask me such moronic questions."

Secretary Burns dismisses the reporter's legitimate question as being silly. Pooh-poohing.

Traffic sign: Slow Children Crossing.

Sign can be read "Slow-witted children are crossing" or "Drive slowly because children are crossing." Equivocation.

President Smith: "I'm proud to say that each department in this university is working to achieve a high reputation. So I can safely say that we are all striving to see that our school achieves stature among the universities of this nation."

Smith assumes that because each department wants status for itself that it wants success for the college. But departments can be self-centered. Composition.

Sue: "I think it would be a mistake to promote Sam. He is very aggressive with other workers, and his honesty questionable." Mona: "I agree with you that we should promote Sam because he is very honest."

Sue's opinion of promoting Sam is very negative but by omitting words like "mistake" and "questionable," Mona changes it to a positive one. Accent.

Doctors hail the AWESOME effectiveness of the new Totaloss Weight Loss program! Proven in medical tests, this amazing new product allows you to drop up to 50 pounds a week WITHOUT EXERCISE OR DIETING! Send money NOW!!!!

The "doctors" and "medical tests" that prove Totaloss are not identified. Bad appeal to authority.

Reporter to Senator: "Senator, many people are questioning the President's decision to pull our troops out of Bambia. If you were President..."Senator (snaps): "I'm not!"

The Senator won't even let the reporter finish her reasonable question. Pooh-poohing.

Ad in store: "We stand behind every bed we sell!"

The ad can be read as "We guarantee our beds" or "After a customer buys a bed, one of us will stand behind it at their house." Equivocation.

"Obviously, our government cares about the safety of nuclear power plants, for our government certainly would not allow nuclear power plants to operate if they were not safe."

The claim that the government cares about the safety of nuclear power plants is premised upon the claim that it would not allow nuclear power unless it were safe. Begging the question.

I am sure that Susan is the best qualified for the engineering scholarship. She worked hard for her high marks, unlike some of the applicants, for whom good grades came easily. Susan is athletic and friendly. Furthermore, both her father and grandfather before her won this same scholarship.

The facts that Susan works hard, is athletic and friendly, and has relatives who won this scholarship are irrelevant to the question whether she deserves it. Ignoring the issue.

Daughter to father: "Dad, is it fair that you give my little brother more allowance than you give me?"Father: "Oh, honey, what a silly thing to ask."

The father dismisses his daughter's very reasonable question (about why she gets less allowance than her brother) as silly. Pooh-poohing.

Headline" Stolen painting found by tree."Reader to friend: "That's an awfully smart tree!"

The headline can be read "The stolen painting was found near a tree" or as "A tree found the stolen art." Equivocation.

Headline: "Grandmother of eight makes hole in one."Woman to husband: "I can't believe a woman would do that to her own grandchild!"

The headline can be read as "A grandmother with eight grandchildren scores a hole in one in a game of golf" or as "A grandmother with eight grandchildren shoots one of them." Equivocation.

"Why do I say Fred is dishonest? Because that weasel lies with every breath he takes. I mean, he's the mother and father of all deceit."

The phrases 'dishonest', 'weasel', and 'lies' all advance the idea that Fred is a liar without offering any evidence that he really is so. Begging the Question.

Could the reason that Chrysler makes the best cars is that they are produced under the free market system?

The question assumes that Chrysler makes the best cars in the world, which is ridiculous. Loaded question.

"Some skeptics claim that people who report seeing flying saucers are not really careful observers and probably mistaken about what they say. But, if fact, of course people who report seeing flying saucers are careful observers—for if they weren't careful observers, they wouldn't have seen the flying saucers at all, would they?

The second sentence makes the very claim under debate, namely, that flying saucers really exist. Begging the question.

Why should mine workers complain about working ten hours a day? Professional people often work that long with no apparent harm.

The speaker overlooks a major relevant difference between professional people and mine workers: mine work is more physically demanding work. False analogy.

"We don't have to waste time dealing with Ms. Jones' claims about women not being promoted to executive positions. We have heard the sob story before."

The speaker refuses to address Jones' points about discrimination, saying that it is an old story. Pooh-poohing.

Student: "Could you possibly he me understand..."Teacher (snaps immediately): "Not likely!"

The teacher cuts the hapless student off before the student can even ask a question. Pooh-poohing.

Student to Philosophy teacher: "Do you believe God exists, and why?"Philosophy teacher: "Really, I consider that a completely pointless issue."

The teacher dismisses the student's reasonable question about the existence of God—an important philosophic question—by calling it "completely pointless." Pooh-poohing.

Teacher to student: "I shall lose no time reading your paper."

The teacher's statement can be read that she will read the paper immediately or that she won't read it at all. Equivocation.

"Ken lost at chess yesterday, so I guess his girlfriend will dump him since she hates losers."

The word "loser" is ambiguous. Ken is a "loser" in the sense that he lost the recent chess game, but not in the sense of someone with little going for them--which is no doubt the sense in which Ken's girlfriend understands the terms. Equivocation.

Nothing is heavier than the heaviest element. A feather is heavier than nothing. Therefore a feather is heavier than the heaviest element.

The word "nothing" is being used to mean the name of an actual substance. Equivocation.

"Martha, Wolfgang, and Julia are all superb chefs. So putting them together in the kitchen here will have fabulous results for our restaurant."

These chefs may be wonderful individually but might not work together well. Composition.

No, I wouldn't take statistics from Prof. Jones. I knew three guys who took her class, and they all did lousy.

Three students is too small a sample size, and since the speaker knows them personally, the sample is biased. Hasty generalization.

Testimonial for an insurance company: "My husband and I took out a home insurance policy. In less than a month our house accidentally burned down. I consider it a miracle."

What was the miracle—that they took out a policy before the fire, or that their house burned down? Equivocation.

"Can the universe think about itself? We know that at least part of it can: we ourselves. Is it not reasonable to conclude the whole universe can?"

While we as individuals think, that doesn't mean that we collectively—along with everything else in the universe—have a collective mind. Composition.

America is the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. So it is absurd to say that poverty is a problem for any American.

Yes, the American nation is wealthy. But the wealth is not evenly distributed, and there are pockets of poverty. Division.

I can see that you are impressed by this coffee-maker. Will this be cash or charge?

The question assumes the customer will be buying the coffee-maker, but there is no evidence that he should do so. Loaded question.

Harry: "I think what we should do is buy a new car and write it off as a business expense." Sally: "But isn't that fraudulent? We don't use our car for business." Harry: "It's okay. Almost everyone fudges a little on their taxes!"

Harry justifies cheating on taxes by saying that everyone does it, which even if true doesn't justify the practice. Appeal to the crowd.

Luisa: "I do believe in God. My main reason is that this vast natural universe, with its innumerable galaxies and stars, must have been created by some supernatural Intelligence. And that supernatural Intelligence we call God."Libby: "What a lame argument! I mean, that's no reason at all for saying that God exists."

Libby doesn't refute Luisa's reasonable argument, but dismisses it as "lame." Pooh-poohing.

Sue: What's causing that noise in the living room? Lori: It's probably a killer mad-dog ghost! Sue: Oh, come on! Lori: Well, what's your explanation? Sue: I don't know... Lori: Then I must be right. Better toss a bone down the hall....

Lori gives no evidence that her explanation is correct; instead, she demands that Sue come up with a better one. Shifting the burden of proof.

Your brain is made of molecules. Molecules do not have consciousness. Therefore, your brain cannot be the source of consciousness."

Molecules together can interact to form consciousness. Composition.

It is likely that there is intelligent life on other planets. After all, nobody has disproven all the thousands of reports of flying saucers.

Nobody has proven any of the reports of flying saucers, either. So there is no evidence presented here. Shifting the burden of proof/appeal to ignorance.

The American judicial system is a fair system. Therefore, that guy who just got executed must have had a fair trial."

The American system is generally fair as a system. But that doesn't mean every trial is fair. Division.

Chair, Department of Philosophy, in a memo to the professors: "If you think about it I'm certain you'll agree with me that Mary Smith is the best candidate for department secretary. I urge you to join with me in recommending her to the administration. Concerning another matter, I'm presently setting up next semester's schedule and I hope that I'll be able to give you all the classes you have requested."

The Chair appears to threaten the professors if they don't agree to make Smith the department secretary, rather than speak about her qualifications. Appeal to fear.

Ad in newspaper: "My friends, just look at this picture of Tatiana. She is malnourished, with no shoes and tattered dress. She has no family to care for her at all. Won't you help Tatiana and all the other poor children like her? Send money now to the Save the Kids Fund."

The ad gives no evidence that the charity spends its donations well. It just tells a sad story about a girl. Appeal to pity.

Our auto insurance company has over 20 million members!! We're obviously the best! Join now!!

The ad gives no evidence the auto insurance offered is worthwhile, only how popular it is--which could be due to any number of things, such as advertising. Appeal to the crowd.

Announcement: "Our X-ray unit will give you an examination for tuberculosis which you will receive free of charge."

The announcement can be read "You will get a tuberculosis test for free," "You will get tuberculosis for free," or "You will get our X-ray unit for free." Equivocation.

Chairperson to the rest of the department: "I've come before you to ask that you rehire Professor Johnson. I realize that Mr. Johnson does not have a Ph.D., and I am aware that he has yet to publish his first article. But Mr. Johnson is over forty now, and he has a wife and two children to support. It will be very difficult for him to find another teaching job at his age."

The chairperson gives no reasons why Johnson deserves to be rehired, in fact, he/she gives reasons to NOT rehire Johnson. The chairperson instead point to Johnson's sad position in life. Appeal to pity.

Newspaper headline: "After two days of looting and rioting, the Mayor called a curfew for the next night."Newspaper reader: "Gee, I wouldn't think that the voters would elect such a violent mayor."

The headline can be read that the citizens did the looting and rioting, or that the mayor himself did the looting and rioting. Equivocation.

Headline: "Teachers strike idle kids."One parent to another: "Just between you and me, some of these lazy students deserve it!"

The headline can be read, "Teachers hit lazy kids" or as "The teachers' strike has left the kids with no school work to do." Equivocation.

"My wife is being cared for at one of the finest hospitals in the country. So, I'm sure all of her doctors are excellent."

The hospital may have a great staff as an organization, but not every member of it may be great. Division.

"Beautiful models sell cars just by being pictured next to the cars in the ads. But models are composed of atoms, so in fact atoms sell cars."

The molecules individually don't sell cars, but collectively (as models) they do. Division.

Movie critic's review: "This movie is the greatest piece of trash to come out of Hollywood in years." Movie studio ad: "Critics hail our new film as the greatest to come out of Hollywood in years."

The movie studio ad distorts what the critic said, making it sound like praise. Accent.

Ford is clearly the best car around. It's superior to all other cars. Aren't Fords just wonderful?"

The phrases 'best', superior', and 'wonderful' suggests that Ford makes the best cars without offering any evidence. Begging the Question.

"All loyal Americans should oppose this treasonous bill. We need to be true to our great country, don't you think? I'm sure that as a patriot, you will agree with me."

The phrases 'loyal', 'treasonous', 'true to our country' and 'patriot' all state that this bill is bad for the country without offering any evidence. Begging the Question.

"When will the American, Chinese and Indian people realize that the Martians plan to attack us all?"

The question assumes that Martians exist. Loaded question.

"When are Americans going to learn to respect achievement? Until they respect achievement, they will wallow in mediocrity."

The question presupposes that Americans don't respect achievement. But that's ludicrous; if anything, Americans worship achievement. Loaded question.

"When will Sam finally see that his political party stands for evil?"

The question presupposes that Sam's political party stands for evil, which he would likely deny. Loaded question.

Why do dog-lovers put the welfare of dogs above that of people?"

The question presupposes that dog-lovers generally put the welfare of dogs above that of people. Loaded question.

"What is the purpose of human existence?"

The question presupposes that human existence has some kind of purpose, which is debatable. Loaded question.

"Will you donate to our animal shelter, or do you hate animals?"

The question presupposes that if you don't donate to the animal shelter, you must hate animals, which is doubtful. Loaded question.

"When will our Leftist news media stop attacking our patriotic President?"

The question presupposes that our news media is Leftist, that our President is patriotic, and that the press is attacking the President, all of which are debatable. Loaded question.

"When and for what reason will the Earth cease to exist?"

The question presupposes that the Earth will someday cease to exist. Loaded question.

Pharmacist sign: "We dispense with care"

The sign can be read "We fill prescriptions carefully" or "We are now careless in filling prescriptions." Equivocation.

Sign: "Employees only may use this elevator." Employee to his friend: "Well, I really wanted to use the stairs, but I guess I have to take this lousy elevator."

The sign can be read two ways: "Only employees may use this elevator" or "Employees may only use this elevator." Equivocation.

Sign in restaurant: If you think our waitresses are rude, you should see our manager.

The sign can be taken as "If our waitresses are rude, complain to the manager" or "Our manager is even more rude." Equivocation.

Ad (top of page): FLY TO FRANCE FOR ONLY $150*" Ad (bottom of page): "Not including taxes, fuel charges, surcharges, and baggage fees."

The small print changes what the big print says--it reveals that you have to pay more than $150 for the flight--possibly much more. Accent.

"Of course I oppose lowering taxes. When has lowering taxes ever done any good? Can you name a time?"

The speaker demands that the listener prove him wrong, i.e., show historical cases where lowering taxes improved the economy. Shifting the burden of proof.

"I certainly do believe that the Illuminati exist. I mean, can you prove that they don't?"

The speaker demands that the listener prove that the Illuminati don't exist. Shifting the burden of proof.

Those who disagree with me when I say that mankind is corrupt prove that they are already corrupted.

The speaker doesn't prove his claim that manking is corrupt; instead, he calls anyone who disagrees corrupt. Attacking the person.

Yes, I believe in God. Why? Well, you can you prove that He doesn't exist?"

The speaker gives no evidence for his view that God exists but just asks the listener to prove God doesn't exist. Shifting the burden of proof.

"How dare you say President Smith is a crooked politician? He's the most honest, decent man to have ever held office. He sets the standard for integrity—he's a saint!"

The speaker gives no evidence that Smith is honest. He merely repeats the claim by using words such as "decent" and "integrity." Begging the Question.

The president of the bank maintains that personal income taxes for the wealthy should be reduced. It is just what you would expect from a person who has a big income and is greedy for more.

The speaker gives no reason to think htat the claim that taxes on the wealthy should be reduced is false. Instead, it criticises the the person making the claim. Appeal to hate.

I think we ought to buy a Ford minivan. I talked to the head salesman at the Ford dealership, and he says that the Ford minivan has the best safety record for minivans of all the car makers.

The speaker is ready to buy a Ford minivan on the testimony of a Ford salesman. But the salesman is biased. Bad appeal to authority.

Why should you vote for the Labor Party candidate? Well, just think about the poor working man, ripped off by the blood-sucking capitalists, tortured by slave drivers, deceived by turncoat union officials, and ridiculed by intellectual parasites! Doesn't that poor working stiff deserve a voice?

The speaker makes you feel sorry for "the poor working man." Appeal to pity.

"Why do so many people like Hemingway? He was a terrible writer. His stories were just lousy: poorly constructed, silly dialogue. Real garbage."

The speaker no evidence to support his claim the Hemingway's writing is inferior. Instead, he uses words like "lousy," "garbage," and "silly" to repeat it. Begging the Question.

Of course God exists! This has been a widespread belief that has yet to be disproven to this day, despite all the huffing and puffing by the stupid atheists out there."

The speaker offers lack of disproof of God as proof of God's existence. Appeal to ignorance.

I don't know if you should date her. She once dated Fred, and Fred later died horribly when an elephant mistook him for a bag of peanuts.

The speaker only cites one case where dating this girl led to trouble. The sample size is too small. Hasty generalization.

It is not going to help ease the energy crisis to have more people ride buses instead of cars. Buses use more energy than cars.

The speaker rightly notes that buses individually use more gas than do cars, but they together replace many cars because they carry more people. Composition.

"Of course I believe there is a clandestine group of greedy financiers trying to take over the world—hell, they even have a name: the Illuminati. Why do I believe this? Because no credible historical authorities have proven it wrong.

The speaker says he believes in the Illuminati because there is no evidence such a group doesn't exist. But lack of evidence is not evidence. Appeal to ignorance.

The idea of the government funding research on dolphins is ridiculous. We were discussing it at lunch today, and the company president and vice-president both said it was a complete waste of money.

The speaker thinks that because his company's executives oppose governmental funding of dolphin research, it is bad idea. But unless they have PhDs in marine biology, their opinions are hardly compelling. Bad appeal to authority.

Let's buy gold. The dollar is going to drop and the price of gold is going to rise. This I heard, and this I believe. It came from our doctor, and he's filthy rich.

The speaker uses his doctor's advice for deciding to buy gold. But a doctor is trained in medicine, not financial investing. Bad appeal to authority.

"According to life insurance statistics, my life expectancy is twenty years. So I guess I will live only two more decades."

The statistics are a group average, so don't directly apply to the individuals in it. Division.

Student to teacher: "Clearly my term paper deserved an 'A'. It was excellent, really well done. Why won't you admit that?"

The student describes his paper as "excellent" and "well done" without giving evidence it is so. Begging the Question.

Mr. Jason, please give me a good grade. I'm the only child of a neurotic mother, and I've got to get into med school. This grade can determine my whole future. Please help me.

The student tugs at Jason's heartstrings instead of giving reasons he deserves a good grade. Appeal to pity.