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English 102 Name:___________________ Fallacies and Sophistries--Definitions Page Let’s play NAME THAT FALLACY! Directions: Using the Logical and Critical Thinking—Fallacies and Sophistries chapter in our course packet along with your common sense, identify the errors in the following examples. Many of these examples may hold more than one error. 1. A TV Commercial: “I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the hit TV series Incision Decision. You can take it from me that when you need a fast acting, effective and safe pain killer there is nothing better than PainAway 2017. That is my considered medical opinion.” Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 2. My dad used to suffer from terrible headaches. When he got one, he would “starve it out” by not eating. Sure enough, seven to eight hours after he stopped eating, his headache would be gone. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 3. Smith, who is from England, decides to
attend graduate school at Ohio State University. He has never been to the U.S. before. The day after he arrives, he is walking
back from an orientation session and sees two white (albino) squirrels
chasing each other around a tree. In his next letter home, he tells his
family that American squirrels are white. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 4. Applicant to employer: "I'm positive that my work will meet your requirements. But more important, I really need the job since my grandmother is sick." Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 5. Betha thinks, “My last two boyfriends were totally sexist pigs. I guess all men are like that! I’m gonna become a nun!” Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 6. Heard on a campus: "Yeah, I know some people say that cheating on tests is wrong. But we all know that everyone does it, so it's okay." Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 7. From a student: "You know, Professor Jones, I really need to get an A in this class. I'd like to stop by during your office hours later to discuss my grade. I'll be in your building anyways, visiting my father. He's your wife’s supervisor, by the way. I'll see you later." Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 8. Interviewer: "Your resume looks
impressive but I need another reference." Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 9. At a
meeting: "Of course the Senator
from Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 10. At a
debate: "That claim cannot be
true. Dave believes it, and we know
how morally repulsive he is." Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 11. When will you
stop beating your spouse? Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 12. On TV: Either
you support the war in Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 13. At a debate: "This theory about a potential cure for cancer has been introduced by a doctor who is a known lesbian feminist. I don't see why we should extend an invitation for her to speak at the World Conference on Cancer. After all, what would she know about it?" Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 14. Jane gets a rather large wart on her finger. Based on a story her father told her, she cuts a potato in half, rubs it on the wart, and then buries the potato under the light of a full moon. Over the next month, her wart shrinks and eventually vanishes. Jane writes her father to tell him how right he was about the cure. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 15. Beth and Tony are talking: Beth: "I'll be able to buy that car I always wanted soon." Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 16. On TV: “Despite thousands of so called ‘sightings,’ no hard evidence for UFO's has ever been produced. Therefore UFO's don't exist.” Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 17. Likewise, every member of the Republican Party must choose between supporting my economic policies--or losing campaign funds in the next election. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 18. We can communicate easily with distant
machines that explore the Moon and Mars.
Why can’t we communicate with one another on Earth and live in peace? Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 19. The health department could not prove that the committee was responsible for the outbreak of salmonella poisoning at the Apple Festival. Therefore, the committee is not responsible for the outbreak of salmonella poisoning at the Apple Festival. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 20. The famous film critic Jackson Sawyer writes the following after seeing the new film Twisted Passions on Saturn: “Whatever you do, don’t miss the new
film Twisted Passions on Saturn if you want to get two hours of sleep
in a dark room.” The next week, in a newspaper advertisement for the film we read: “Whatever you do, don’t miss the new
film Twisted Passions on Saturn . . . . ---Jackson Sawyer Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 21. Undemocratic societies kill the human spirit. The reason is clear: unless the people have the power in their society, the human spirit withers. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 22. Laboratory rats get to smoke all of the marijuana they want. We humans should certainly have more rights than rats, so why can’t we smoke all of the marijuana we want? Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 23. “When we die, we will either go to heaven or hell.” Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 24. “Anyone who teaches English is an obnoxious freak, so that obnoxious freak over there must be an English teacher.” (Hint: try a Venn Diagram on this one.) Type of Error? __________________________________________ 25. People with high-speed internet
connections overwhelmingly prefer to shop on-line. This indicates that Americans are losing
their desire to shop at malls, stores, and local retailers. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 26. Heard at a
presentation: Evolution is
false! How could a mouse evolve into
an elephant? There would have to be billions
of changes for that to occur, and nobody has ever seen speciation
anyway! So it's silly . . . who has
ever seen a mouse evolve into an elephant?
Nobody!! Therefore, evolution
must be false! Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 27. Heard at a debate: Certainly our
country’s Declaration of Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 28. Heard on the floor of Congress: Senator Jones says
that we should not fund the new attack submarine program. I disagree entirely. I can't understand why he wants to leave us
defenseless like that. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 29. Heard at a political meeting: We admit that this
proposed spending measure is popular.
However, we also urge you to note that there are so many bond issues
on this ballot that the whole thing is getting ridiculous. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 30. At the end of a presentation on why it is morally wrong to use animals for food and clothing: Bob concludes, Based on the arguments I have presented, it is evident that it is morally wrong to use animals for food or clothing.
Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 31. Heard at a debate: Certainly our
country’s Declaration of Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 32. Heard at a presentation: Eastern medicine is
far more effective than Western medicine.
Eastern medicine relies on thousands of years of experimentation with
natural substances and herbs. Western
medicine, in contrast, claims to be effective because of all of its
instruments, high-tech machines, and manufactured chemicals. What many do not
consider is that several cases of quackery and fraud by doctors in the West
have been uncovered over time. These
doctors in question steal money from the government by filing false Medicare
claims and the like or claiming that they have treated patients when they
really haven’t, thus making their patients pay for treatment they did not
receive. When considering the
effectiveness of Western medicine, we must first discuss this problem of fraud
and quackery. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 33. Heard outside the Lair. Well, I guess that
smoking can’t be that bad. After all,
Sally and John smoke. Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 34. Heard outside the Lair: Oh yeah? Well, if you really think I am wrong then
prove it! Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 35. Heard at a debate on Global Warming: Your solution to
Global Warming does not appeal to me.
If we follow your suggestion, we certainly might stop Global Warming
in its tracks, but what will we do without thermal-plastics used in
automobile tire manufacturing? Type of Error? ___________________________________________ 36. Ralph and Edna are arguing about the morality of
abortion. Let’s listen in: Ralph: "I believe that abortion
is morally acceptable. After all, a
woman should have a right to her own body." Type of Error? ___________________________________________ |