Identifying Fallacies

1.     CheckPoint: Identifying Fallacies

• Resource: Ch. 6 End-of-Chapter Exercises and the Answers, Suggestions, and Tips for Triangle Exercises section of Critical Thinking
• Due Date: Day 4 [Individual forum]
• Complete Exercise 6-6 on pp. 194-196 of Critical Thinking. You are not required to complete questions displaying a triangle (p) symbol.
• Copy and paste the question numbers and answers into the body of a post.

1,4,7,10 are triangle symbol questions that are not required to complete per instructions.

Exercise 6-6

Identify any examples of fallacies in the following passages. Tell why you

think these are fallacies, and identify which category they belong in, if they

fit any category we’ve described.

2. Letter to the editor: “Andrea Keene’s selective morality is once again

showing through in her July 15 letter. This time she expresses her abhorrence

of abortion. But how we see only what we choose to see! I wonder

if any of the anti-abortionists have considered the widespread use of

fertility drugs as the moral equivalent of abortion, and, if they have,

why they haven’t come out against them, too. The use of these drugs

frequently results in multiple births, which leads to the death of one

of the infants, often after an agonizing struggle for survival. According

to the rules of the pro-lifers, isn’t this murder?”

— North-State Record

This is an example of the Personal Attack Ad Hominem, the writer attacks Keene’s letter with the phrase “selective morality”, and the words “This time” indicating this is a common thread from Keene. 

3. In one of her columns, Abigail Van Buren printed the letter of “I’d rather

be a widow.” The letter writer, a divorcée, complained about widows

who said they had a hard time coping. Far better, she wrote, to be a

widow than to be a divorcée, who are all “rejects” who have been “publicly

dumped” and are avoided “like they have leprosy.” Abby recognized

the pseudoreasoning for what it was, though she did not call it by our

name. What is our name for it? 

The letter writer is guilty of stereotyping with their indication that all divorcee’s are rejects, publicly dumped, and avoided like they have leprosy.  

5. Letter to the editor: “Once again the Park Commission is considering

closing North Park Drive for the sake of a few joggers and bicyclists.

These so-called fitness enthusiasts would evidently have us give up to

them for their own private use every last square inch of Walnut Grove.

Then anytime anyone wanted a picnic, he would have to park at the

edge of the park and carry everything in—ice chests, chairs, maybe even

grandma. I certainly hope the Commission keeps the entire park open

for everyone to use.”

This is an example of the Straw man fallacy.  The writer is exaggerating the outcome if we consider closing North Park Drive.

6. “Some Christian—and other—groups are protesting against the placing,

on federal property near the White House, of a set of plastic figurines representing

a devout Jewish family in ancient Judaea. The protestors would

of course deny that they are driven by any anti-Semitic motivation. Still,

we wonder: Would they raise the same objections (of unconstitutionality,

etc.) if the scene depicted a modern, secularized Gentile family?”

— National Review

I would say this falls as a Genetic fallacy.  The writer is assuming that the groups are opposing the figurines because they depict a Jewish family.

8. From a letter to the editor: “The counties of Michigan clearly need the

ability to raise additional sources of revenue, not only to meet the

demands of growth but also to maintain existing levels of service. For

without these sources those demands will not be met, and it will be impossible

to maintain services even at present levels.”

I can not find any obvious fallacies.

9. In February 1992, a representative of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico

gave a radio interview (broadcast on National Public Radio) in which he

said that the Church was against the use of condoms. Even though the

rate of AIDS infection in Puerto Rico is much higher than on the U.S.

mainland, the spokesman said that the Church could not support the use

of condoms because they are not absolutely reliable in preventing the

spread of the disease. “If you could prove that condoms were absolutely

dependable in preventing a person from contracting AIDS, then the

Church could support their use.”

This is an example of perfectionist fallacy.  The interviewee requiring perfection before supporting or there will be no support.