Question

Match these statements with the appropriate reasoning fallacy below: killing people is wrong, so the death penalty is wrong! how is talking about vaccinations going to help us find a cure for cancer? if we allow our 14-year-old to have her first date tonight, what's next? a wedding, kids? "we should be doing more to make cars greener and more fuel efficient." "our cities are built for cars; do you want to impact the economy?" dogs are good pets. coyotes are dogs. therefore, coyotes are good pets. don't listen to dave's argument on gun control. he's not the brightest bulb in the box. everyone on campus is wearing yeezy's. i need to buy those sneakers. mary wore her favorite necklace today and aced her spelling test. that necklace must be lucky. divorce is rampant in america. we only stand a 50 percent chance of survival. therefore, we can't get married. when your mom gets your phone bill and you have gone over the limit, you begin talking to her about how hard your math class is and how well you did on a test today. president trump doesn't have middle class americans in mind. he's part of the upper echelon of america. people have been praying to god for years. no one can prove he doesn't exist. therefore, he exists. princess kate wears alexander mcqueen. are you trying to say you have better fashion sense than a royal princess? no one in this family has ever been divorced; therefore, you need to work out your marital problems. we don't get divorced! my mom loves to read. she must hate movies. if you give a man a gun, he may kill someone. if he has no gun, then he will not kill anyone. the town has always had a parade on the 4th of july and it has always proceeded through the town square. we cannot have construction this summer because we cannot change the route of the parade. that movie, "uncut gems" deserves the oscar for best picture. there are other good movies, but not like that one. others may deserve an honorable mention, but not the oscar, because "uncut gems" deserves the oscar. medical student: "no one objects to a physician looking up a difficult case in medical books. why, then, shouldn't students taking a difficult examination be permitted to use their textbooks?" pit bulls are actually gentle, sweet dogs. my next-door neighbor has one and his dog loves to romp and play with all the kids in the neighborhood!

1) post hoc
2) slippery slope
3) appeal to ignorance
4) repeating an assertion
5) red herring
6) ad hominem
7) appeal to authority
8) straw-man fallacy
9) slippery slope
10) bandwagon
11) red herring
12) non-sequitur
13) analogy fallacy
14) begging the question
15) strawman fallacy
16) appeal to tradition
17) appeal to tradition
18) hasty generalization
19) denying the antecedent
20) sweeping generalization

Answer 1

Logical fallacies are mistakes in reasoning that can invalidate arguments. Specific examples, such as slippery slope, red herring, and ad hominem, illustrate various types of fallacies that often appear in everyday discussions and debates. Identifying and understanding fallacies is essential for rational discourse.

Logical fallacies are errors in reasoning that can invalidate an argument. Below is a list that matches statements to the appropriate reasoning fallacy from the list provided by the student:

Slippery slope: "If we allow our 14-year-old to have her first date tonight, what's next? A wedding, kids?"

Red herring: "When your mom gets your phone bill and you have gone over the limit, you begin talking to her about how hard your math class is and how well you did on a test today."

Ad hominem: "Don't listen to Dave's argument on gun control. He's not the brightest bulb in the box."

Bandwagon: "Everyone on campus is wearing Yeezy's. I need to buy those sneakers."

Post hoc: "Mary wore her favorite necklace today and aced her spelling test. That necklace must be lucky."

Non-sequitur: "Divorce is rampant in America. We only stand a 50 percent chance of survival. Therefore, we can't get married."

Appeal to authority: "President Trump doesn't have middle class Americans in mind. He's part of the upper echelon of America."

Appeal to ignorance: "People have been praying to God for years. No one can prove He doesn't exist. Therefore, He exists."

Appeal to tradition: "The town has always had a parade on the 4th of July and it has always proceeded through the town square. We cannot have construction this summer because we cannot change the route of the parade."

Analogy fallacy: "Dogs are good pets. Coyotes are dogs. Therefore, coyotes are good pets."

Strawman fallacy: "We should be doing more to make cars greener and more fuel efficient." "Our cities are built for cars; do you want to impact the economy?"

Hasty generalization: "Pit bulls are actually gentle, sweet dogs. My next-door neighbor has one and his dog loves to romp and play with all the kids in the neighborhood!"

These are just a few examples of how fallacies can manifest in everyday reasoning and arguments. Being able to identify these can be crucial for maintaining clear and rational discussion.