The Little Blue Reasoning Book - Brandon Royal [46]
“How can you let Sheila give you marital advice? Don’t you know she spent some time in jail for mail fraud?”
Poisoning the Well
The fallacy of poisoning the well consists of rejecting an opponent’s argument because of the opponent’s background, particularly as it relates to nationality, race, gender, or geography.
“How can what you say be credible? You’re from Sydney, and of course you think Sydney is a better city than Melbourne.”
Tu Quoque
The tu quoque fallacy consists of refusing to accept an opponent’s stance or position because the opponent is guilty of these very same charges.
Father: “You shouldn’t drink, son. Drinking hurts your liver, and being drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.”
Son: “Dad, isn’t that a gin and tonic in your hand?”
Even though the boy’s father is drinking, it doesn’t mean the father’s point is without merit.
Red Herring
The red herring fallacy consists in attempting to hide a weakness in an argument by drawing attention away from the real issue and emphasizing a side issue.
(Boss to employee): “Don’t tell me about low wages. When I was your age I was making only a hundred dollars a week.”
The fact that this employee’s boss made less when she or he was young is irrelevant to a concerned employee seeking a wage increase.
Assigning Irrelevant Goals or Functions
The fallacy of assigning irrelevant goals or functions consists of rejecting a policy or course of action because it fails to satisfy certain goals or objectives that it was never intended to achieve.
Peter: “Do you really think that studying logic is going to help us solve the world’s problems?”
Tiffany: “No, probably not.”
Peter: “Then why are you wasting your time studying it?”
Wishful Thinking
The fallacy of wishful thinking occurs when one assumes that just because one wishes something to be true (or false), it will therefore be the case.
“Forget all about our team’s rather lackluster performance this season. Our football team is going to defeat the defending champions in the first round of the playoffs. All of our players believe in themselves and are determined to pull off an upset victory.”
Fallacy of Tradition
The fallacy of tradition consists in trying to persuade someone based on history, heritage, or reverence rather than relying on the strength of the evidence.
“Tim, you can’t be serious about going to Annapolis! Your family has been and always will be Army — your father, brother, grandfather, and uncle. It’s West Point for you, my friend.”
Appeal to Public Opinion
The fallacy of appeal to public opinion occurs when an idea or position is accepted because a great number of people also accept or support it.
“I’m going to vote ‘yes’ on the proposed tax bill amendment. According to a recent poll, more than two-thirds of the registered voters under the age of twenty-five support it.”
Appeal to Pity
The fallacy of appeal to pity consists of using sympathy to persuade rather than relying on the strength of the evidence presented.
(Sheila to John) “You have to donate to the orphanage. It is bad enough that children will never know who their real parents are, let alone being deprived of the basic necessities of life.”
3) Fallacies Based on Flawed Assumptions
False Alternatives
The fallacy of false alternatives involves assuming that one of two alternatives is correct. These alternatives are usually extreme and fail to acknowledge middle ground. The fallacy of false alternatives is also referred to as the “either-or” fallacy or “black-and-white” fallacy.
“If you’re not for free trade, you must be for protectionism.”
Fallacy of the Golden Mean
The fallacy of the golden mean consists in believing that the middle option is best because it is the point between two extremes. This is also called the fallacy of moderation.
“Junior high school teachers believe students should follow a fixed course curriculum. The parents of junior high school