EXERCISE A: Mixed Deductive Fallacies (Groups 1 - 4)
Identify the fallacy that occurs in each passage.
These will be Ad Hominems, Emotional Appeals, and Ad Verecundiams, both personal and impersonal.
1. The decision to put a shelter for the homeless in this neighborhood was clearly the work of some petty-minded, incompetent bureaucrat!
2. I used to be a nerd with pimples. Then I started drinking Pixie...and I'm still a nerd with pimples! Hey, it's a soft drink, not a miracle.
3. Mr. Johnson owns stock in a major oil corporation. Therefore Mr. Johnson has no business expressing his support for the development of solar technology.
4. Doctor-assisted suicide is morally wrong, since it interferes in the natural course of events.
5. [If they sold scientific theories on television:] Hi. I'm Cindy Crawford. The wave theory of light is the theory for me, 'cause it's, y'know, most like my hair.
6. My government has been accused of human rights abuses, but you Americans are in no position to throw stones. Your country also has a long history of slavery and racism.
7. As emotionally appealing as the idea of universal health care may seem, we should really focus on more immediate and practical concerns.
8. My opponent's arguments against making English the official language of the United States are not to be trusted. Since she learned English as a second language herself, she is not impartial on this issue.
9. Take it from me. Fast & Luce Inc. is the investment company you can trust!
10. People before Columbus believed that the earth was flat. It says so right here in my history text book.
11. Do you remember the smell of home cooking? The thrill of a main street parade? Vote GOP. We still care about small-town values.
12. The bombings in Belfast this weekend were entirely justified. Since you aren't Irish, you can't appreciate how strongly we feel about our independence.
13. Palestinian refugees are underfed and forced to live in woefully inadequate shelters, huddled together in squalor and filth. The Palestinians should be given a homeland of their own!
14. I found my opponent's recent conversion to the cause of campaign finance reform to be heartening proof that he does understand at least some important issues.
15. My opponent isn't tough enough on crime. Do you want a society in which drug lords run our neighborhoods to suit themselves?
16. [If they sold scientific theories on television:] Do you wonder about the ultimate constituents of the universe? Present theories not working for you? Try String Theory, the latest breakthrough in fundamental physics. (Side effects may include nausea and confusion. Ask your physicist if String Theory is right for you.)
17. For a serious headache you need serious medicine. Bayer 3 is serious medicine.
18. Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction. Our sources in the intelligence community have incontrovertable proof.
19. The Ford Xterra. Go farther. [Visual: a man in blue jeans standing beside his SUV perched on top of an inaccessible rock, surveying a lonesome but breathtaking landscape.]
20. Everyone is talking about this summer's blockbuster motion picture, Planet of the Humans. You should rush right out and see it, too.
WELCOME EXPLANATION OF PRINCIPLES TABLE OF FALLACIES EXERCISES INDEX