Question

Determine whether the fallacy committed by the following argument is a formal fallacy or informal fallacy. Argument: If Rasputin was really mad, then he deceived Czar Nicholas II. Rasputin was not really mad. Therefore, he did not deceive Czar Nicholas II.

a) Formal fallacy
b) Informal fallacy
c) Neither formal nor informal fallacy
d) Both formal and informal fallacy

Answer 1

The argument provided is an example of an informal fallacy, more precisely, a fallacy of unwarranted assumption, as it incorrectly assumes that being mad is the sole potential reason for deception.

Step-by-step explanation:

The argument presented commits an informal fallacy. The error in reasoning does not arise from the structure of the argument (which would be a formal fallacy), but from the relationship between the evidence and the conclusion. Specifically, it falls under the category of a fallacy of unwarranted assumption—the argument incorrectly assumes that being mad is the only reason Rasputin could have deceived Czar Nicholas II. This assumption requires further justification and represents a flaw in the informal reasoning rather than the form of the argument itself.