The Logical Fallacy GameENGL 1120

Auburn University

Bill: “I believe that abortion is morally wrong.” Dave: “Of course you would say that, you’re a priest.” Bill: “What about the arguments I gave to support my position?”Dave: “Those don’t count. Like I said, you’re a priest, so you have to say that abortion is wrong. Further, you are just a lackey to the Pope, so I can’t believe what you say.”

Ad Hominem

Sasha: "I played the lottery today and I know I am going to win something." Siphwe: "What did you do, rig the outcome?" Sasha: "No, silly. I called my Super Psychic Buddy at the 1-900-MindPower number. After consulting his magic Californian Tarot deck, he told me my lucky numbers." Siphwe: "And you believed him?" Sasha: "Certainly, he is a certified Californian Master-Mind Psychic. That is why I believe what he has to say. I mean, like, who else would know what my lucky numbers are?"

Appeal to Authority

Bill says that he likes the idea that people should work for their welfare when they can. His friends laugh at him, accuse him of fascist leanings, and threaten to ostracize him from their group. He decides to recant and abandon his position to avoid rejection.

Bandwagon

"Senator Jones says that we should not fund the attack submarine program. I disagree

entirely. I can't understand why he wants to leave us defenseless like that."

Straw Man

“We admit that this measure is popular. But we also urge you to note that there are so many bond issues on this ballot that the whole thing is getting ridiculous.”

Red Herring

Sam is riding her bike in her home town in Maine, minding her own business. A station wagon comes up behind her and the driver starts beeping his horn and then tries to force her off the road. As he goes by, the driver yells "get on the sidewalk where you belong!" Sam sees that the car has Ohio plates and concludes that all Ohio drivers are jerks.

Hasty Generalization

Bill purchases a new PowerMac and it works fine for months. He then buys and installs a new piece of software. The next time he starts up his Mac, it freezes. Bill concludes that the software must be the cause of the freeze.

Post Hoc

The Republicans pass a new tax reform law that benefits wealthly Americans. Shortly thereafter the economy takes a nose dive. The Democrats claim that the the tax reform caused the economic woes and they push to get rid of it.

Post Hoc

"You can never give anyone a break. If you do, they'll walk all over you."

Slippery Slope

Interviewer: "Your resume looks impressive but I need another reference." Bill: "Jill can give me a good reference." Interviewer: "Good. But how do I know that Jill is trustworthy?" Bill: "Certainly. I can vouch for her."

Begging the Question

Bill says that he likes the idea that people should work for their welfare when they can. His friends laugh at him, accuse him of fascist leanings, and threaten to ostracize him from their group. He decides to recant and abandon his position to avoid rejection.

Begging the Question

"I think there is great merit in making the requirements stricter for the graduate students. I recommend that you support it, too. After all, we are in a budget crisis and we do not want our salaries affected."

Red Herring

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 it 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.

Post Hoc

Bill: "I believe that abortion is morally acceptable. After all, a woman should have a right to her own body." Jane: "I disagree completely. Dr. Johan Skarn says that abortion is always morally wrong, regardless of the situation. He has to be right, after all, he is a respected expert in his field." Bill: "I've never heard of Dr. Skarn. Who is he?" Jane: "He's the guy that won the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on cold fusion." Bill: "I see. Does he have any expertise in morality or ethics?" Jane: "I don't know. But he's a world famous expert, so I believe him."

Appeal to Authority

If we let one homosexual couple live on our street before you know it our neighborhood will start to become like Greenwich Village in New York or the Castro District in San Francisco.

Slippery Slope

Everyone else is displaying a flag, or a support our troops sticker on their car; therefore, you should too.

Bandwagon

Here’s what I think about what you have written: anyone who opposes the death penalty for murder is a criminal at heart.

Ad Hominem

American students' relatively poor performance in foreign language and geography examinations means that they should be subjected to regular standardized tests in these two areas each year throughout their mandatory period of schooling.

Non Sequitur

She is a feminist; she must hate men.

Non Sequitur