EXERCISE C: Mixed Deductive Fallacies (from all groups)
Identify the fallacy that occurs in each passage.
These will be Deductive fallacies of all kinds.
1. The groundswell of support for the President's economic program shows that his proposals are what is best for the country.
2. Are you in favor of abortion because you are insensitive, or because you hate children?
3. The Serbs were systematically exterminating the Kosovo Albanians, seizing their property and driving them from their homes. Clearly it was in the best interest of the United States to intervene militarily.
4. No dogs are allowed at the zoo. You'll just have to leave your seeing-eye dog at home.
5. A tax cut would be a good idea. Even Allen Greenspan has endorsed the President's tax cut proposal.
6. You Americans have no right to criticize our bombing of Chechnya after all the damage done in Serbia by NATO bombings.
7. Century plants are nearly extinct, so I'm not expecting my century plant to live much longer.
8. The only people who believe in a strong military are rednecks with an I.Q. under 80. Therefore you shouldn't listen to the arguments of anyone who believes in a strong military.
9. My apartment is decorated with elegance and taste. The couch is a fabulous example of Edwardian elegance. The original Rauschenberg over the mantle shows my discerning taste. The carpet is Turkist and the wallpaper incorporates Chinese motifs. What a combination!
10. If there are other intelligent life-forms in the universe, then we will eventually be able to learn of their existence, since we are bound to discover the existence of any beings in the universe that have some degree of intelligence.
11. Unless you have struggled to get by using a language other than your own, you are in no position to decide that having an "official" language serves the public interest.
12. If you can't see for yourself that I am the best qualified person for the job, then perhaps my lawyer would be able to convince you.
13. We have not always been able to prevent personal information posted over the Internet from falling into the wrong hands. Clearly purchasing of products on the Internet should be banned completely.
14. Serve Underwood Caviar. Let everyone see how sophisticated you are.
15. I don't have to pay to advertise my product on your website. I'm entitled to free speech, and the Supreme Court has ruled that advertising is a form of "speech."
16. Our beer is made following a family recipe that our ancestors brought over from the old country.
17. Pollution has become an emotional issue, but realistically we will have to accept pollution as a fact of life. It is simply not economically feasible to demand that factories install pollution control devices.
18. The latest in engineering technology!
19. The few. The proud. The Marines.
20. You think my novel is rambling and unfocused? Well, I think it is sweeping and wide-ranging.
WELCOME EXPLANATION OF PRINCIPLES TABLE OF FALLACIES EXERCISES INDEX