Chapter 7 Fallacies
A. Personal Attack ad Hominem E. Genetic Fallacy I. Slippery Slope
B. Circumstantial ad Hominem F. Straw Man J. Burden of Proof/Ignorance
C. Inconsistency ad Hominem G. False Dilemma K. Begging the Question
D. Poisoning the Well H. Perfectionist Fallacy L. No Fallacy
No, I don’t think we ought to reinstate the death penalty in this state. Doing so isn’t going to prevent all crime, and you know it.
Why do I spend so much money on clothes? Well, it’s either that or look like a bum, and you know which of those I prefer.
Professor Pearson’s arguments in favor of the theory of evolution should be discounted. Pearson is a cocaine-snorting sex pervert and, according to some reports, a member of the communist party.
Either join in the political life or resign yourself to a lonely and meaningless existence.
The missile defense plan, proposed by the president, won’t shoot down all incoming missiles. Therefore, this plan should be rejected.
Mr. Hughes has argued that more money should be spent on education. But, Hughes is an underpaid college teacher. So, you know his argument is worthless.
Extramarital sex is immoral because any activity that produces children out of wedlock is immoral.
Once your kids are watching cartoons, they’re also watching those toy commercials. If they see the commercials they’ll want the toys; before you know it, they’re obsessed with the toys and you’ve lost all control over them. So don’t let children watch cartoons.
Jones has argued to increase funding for the disabled. But nobody should listen to that argument. Jones is a lazy slob who cheats on his wife, beats his kids, and never pays his bills.
There must be intelligent life on other planets. No one has proven that there isn’t.
Spritzy soda is the most popular because it has the best taste. Clearly it has the best taste because more money is spent making it. We know this is true because the manufacturer earns loads of money selling Spritzy. And we can be certain of that because Spritzy is the most popular soda.
Same sex marriages should never be licensed by the state. If these arrangements are licensed, they will become an attractive alternative to heterosexual marriage. Married couples will start abandoning their spouses and link up with same-sex partners. Before long, everyone will adopt this lifestyle, and no one will have any kids. The extinction of the human race will follow soon thereafter.
Tomorrow night you will watch my opponent on these same channels. He’ll try to defend all the exhausted ideas that have landed this state in the gutter. You wait, he’ll pretend he’s saying something new. But that is the way it goes in politics, and I’ll let him make his little speech.
People have freedom of choice, for no one has been able to show that we do not.
“It really gripes me to see Bill Clinton talking about how cigarette smoking is a big contributor to public health costs. You want to know how much you can trust him on that subject? Well, even he himself admits to smoking cigars!”
Dr. Jones has argued that smoking is responsible for the majority of health problems in this country and that every smoker who has even the slightest concern for his or her health should quit. However, we must consign Dr. Jones’s argument to the trash bin. Only yesterday I saw Dr. Jones smoking a cigarette.
Alice has argued that we replace the public school system with private education. But of course she’s going to say that. She has no kids and she doesn’t want to pay any more taxes for public education.
Before you get all excited about the ancient Greek ideal of a life of leisure and learning, remember that the Greeks owned slaves.
Trucker caps are in fashion now because practically everyone is wearing them.
I’ve heard your argument that I should go on a diet. But just look at yourself! You have a pot as big as a weather balloon, and every one of your muscles has turned to flab.
No, I don’t believe we ought to reinstate the death penalty in this state. Doing it isn’t going to prevent all crime, and you know it.
Brewing tycoon Joseph Coors has argued that government should get off the back of American businesses. Obviously, Coors wants to abolish government altogether. Yet without government there would be no defense, no judicial system, and no Social Security. None of us wants to forgo these benefits. Thus we can see that Coors’s argument is absurd.
The next speaker is going to speak in favor of the idea. But she works for the gun lobby. Don’t even bother listening to what she says.
I don’t think postmodern expressionism is decent art. It’s another style spawned by the East Coast art establishment, and, frankly, I’m tired of that group’s dictating to the rest of the art world.
Either you floss daily or your teeth will look pathetic.