Examples+of+Fallacies

Andrea P1: Tom is a vegetarian P2: Tom gets sick easily C: All vegetarians get sick easily
 * 1. Generalisation fallacies- Hasty Generalization & Unqualified Generalization **

Aliza P1: Annie is 5-years old P2: Annie likes to study C: All 5-year olds like to study.

Joanne P1: The sky is blue. P2: Water is blue. C: The sky is water. //This is more a case of False Analogy//

Iram P1: Megan and Susan are RGS Secondary 3 students. P2: Megan and Susan have iPhones C: All RGS Secondary 3 students have iPhones

Tracy P1: Cutting people is a crime. P2: Surgeons cut people. C: Surgeons are criminals. //This is more a case of Equivocation//

Huijun: P1: Jimmy has muscles. P2: Jimmy knows kungfu. C: (All?) People with muscles know kungfu.

Anar P1: Mammals are furry. P2: Soft toys are furry. C: Soft toys are mammals. //This is more a case of False Analogy//

Yun Ting P1: Esna and Rebekah are students from 315 P2: Esna and Rebekah have plastic bottles. C: All students from 315 have plastic bottles.

Letitia P1: Huijun is a prefect. P2: Cherine is a prefect. C: Huijun and Cherine are the same person. //This is more a case of False Analogy//

//Please note: For generalization fallacies, the conclusion typically takes the form of "All As are Bs". Sometimes, the "All" is omitted but implied given the context.//

** 2. Appeal to Popularity ** Rebekah My fellow Americans...there has been some talk that the government is overstepping its bounds by allowing police to enter peoples' homes without the warrants traditionally required by the Constitution. However, these are dangerous times and dangerous times require appropriate actions. I have in my office thousands of letters from people who let me know, in no uncertain terms, that they heartily endorse the war against crime in these United States. Because of this overwhelming approval, it is evident that the police are doing the right thing. Source: http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-popularity.html

** 3. Appeal to Pity ** Andrea I'm positive that my work will meet your requirements. I really need the job since my grandmother is sick (from http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-pity.html)

Aliza Please give me full marks for this test, or else my parents will whack and cane me until I have injuries all over my body.

Iram My father has cancer and is dying. The doctor says he has 4 months left if he doesn't get help. We are poor. Please hire me. I need the money so my father can live.

Tracy My sickly wife and 2 young children need me. Please do not find me guilty; I did not murder Tom. Without me, what would become of my family?

Yun Ting You should campaign for this boy to meet his idol, he is suffering from cancer and only has two more years to live. Please grant him his wish.

Huijun All of you have a home to return to everyday. Not these children, whose homes have been destroyed by the earthquake. They have no homes, no families, no friends. Lend them a helping hand! Donate money!

** 4. Appeal to Anonymous Authority ** Jixin -When you claim that one should believe a proposition because it is believed/ claimed by an authority figure that is not specifically identified/ named. e.g. Scientists or experts have proven X to be true, therefore X is true. (and you should believe it)

** 5. Appeal to Authority ** Rebekah Economist John Kenneth Galbraith argues that a tight money policy is the best cure for a recession. Source: http://onegoodmove.org/fallacy/aa.htm  Anar The situation on the ground is dire. Officials from the United Nations are appealing for contributions towards it's peacekeeping efforts. Mariah Carey, Jackie Chan and Oprah Winfrey have pledged sums reported to be between US 5 million and 6 million each. Kindly lend your hand. Every action, regardless of magnitude, will go a long way. ** 6. Doubtful Cause ** Cherine P1: Every time I eat, I will fart. C: Eating makes me fart. Analysis: The conclusion asserts that the act of eating is the cause of the speaker's farting based solely on the fact that the speaker ate before he farted. However, the argument did not provide sufficient evidence to show a causal relationship between the two since the sequence of events alone is insufficient to prove that a causal connection between the events exists. There could be other more relevant and scientific reasons for the act of farting (such as lactose intolerance) or it could simply be a coincidence. In the absence of further details, we cannot conclude why the speaker farted, so we shouldn't rule out other causes or assert that the act of eating must be the cause. There isn't sufficient reason for us to accept the conclusion. Aliza P1: Every time I swim, it will rain. C: Me swimming will make it rain.

Iram P1: Every time I go to cut my hair, I get a cold. C: I get a cold every time I cut my hair.

Tracy P1: Every time I do not study for a test, I get full marks. C: I will get full marks if I do not study for the test.

Yun Ting P1: Each time I attend training, it rains. C: I should not go for training as it will rain.

Yun Zhen P1: I lost my keys when I wore red slippers C: Red slippers cause me to lose my keys

Huijun P1: Every time I eat apples I get diarrhoea. C: Apples are diarrhoea causing agents.

Letitia P1: Every time I go to Far East Plaza, I see a frog on my way home. C: I will see a frog if I go to Far East Plaza.

** 7. Slippery Slope ** ** Cherine P1: If you allow the students to play basketball, it will promote the playing of basketball. P2: If playing basketball is promoted, more students will likely to be addicted to playing basketball. P3: This will lead to students neglecting their homework and eventually failing their exams. P4: If they keep failing their exams, then they will be expelled from school. C:Allowing students to play basketball will cause students to be expelled from school. It is questionable whether by promoting playing basketball, it will automatically cause more students to be addicted to playing basketball. Steps can be taken to restrict students from playing basketball. For example, there can be restrictions on the time and duration students are allowed to play basketball. Similarly, the school counsellor and parents can intervene to help addicts to cope with their addiction and learn to focus more on their school work. Since the consequences in premises 2 and 3 need not arise, the conclusion may not necessarily be true. Joanne P1: If teenagers do not have a complete family, they will not experience love from their family. P2: If they do not experience love from their family, they will not be able to love someone else. P3: If they do not love someone else, they will not get married. P4: If they do not get married, they will not have children. P5: If they do not have children, the country will have a low birth rate. C: An increase in broken families in society will lead to low birth rate in a country.
 * Chain of cause and effect
 * In order to avoid the final effect, we must avoid the cause,
 * Fallacy: the chain of cause and effect is not guaranteed to happen.
 * Must find some practical ways to stop the slide somewhere.
 * Must find some practical ways to stop the slide somewhere.

** 8. False Analogy ** Cherine P1: Going to school is like going to work. P2: You can have an hour of lunch break when working. C: When schooling, you can also have an hour of lunch break. The conclusion that the speaker should be able to have an hour of lunch break is based on the claim that going to school is the same as going to work. However, the nature of these two activities are different. The usual working hours for offices workers are 8 to 12 hours. However, the usual school hours are 6 to 8 hours. Hence, the duration of lunch break should be limited. Since there is a relevant dissimilarity in the alleged analogy, it is problematic and the conclusion need not be true.

Jixin

P1: Humans and cats are both living things. P2: Humans can talk. C: Cats can talk too.

Yun Ting P1: Tuition teachers are like school teachers. P2: School teachers have degrees. C: Tuition teachers have degrees.

Letitia P1: Combs and fish have a similar structure. P2: Combs can be used to comb your hair. C: You can use fish to comb your hair.

** 9. False Dilemma ** Andrea P1: Either 1+1=4 or 1+1=12 P2: 1+1 does not equal to 4 <span style="font-family: Arial,helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">C: 1+1=12 (from http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/false-dilemma.html)

** 10. Attacking the Person ** Rebekah You may argue that God doesn't exist, but you are just following a fad. Source: []    Joanne That guy has been a criminal in the past. How can you trust what he says? Anar With the country heavily in debt, how can the Prime Minister allow the policy that entails a welfare period for all unemployed citizens till they secure a job?