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logical-fallacy

like 7

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I. Many seats in the private medical colleges in the state have remained vacant this year. II. The government medical colleges in the state could accommodate all the students who sought admission this year.

false causality

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Steve: I think it is fantastic that you and Sylvia are getting married! Chuck: I cannot believe you think my getting married only exists in my imagination! That is what fantastic means, after all.

equivocation

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A is true because B is true, and B is true because C is true, and C is true because A is true.

circular reasoning

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“I didn’t see you at the charity fundraiser today. I guess you are not a good person after all.”

false dilemma

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Callie: Did you know that Jake Tooten was a racist? Chris: I know Jake well. Why do you say he’s a racist? Callie: He was on a podcast the other day... Chris: Did he say something racist? Callie: No, but the podcast host did an interview two years ago with a woman who said she supported an organization that had a history of racism back in the 1960s. Jake clearly supports racism!

faulty generalization

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Believing that "runs" occur to statistically independent phenomena such as roulette wheel spins.

ad populum

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If there is no objective morality, then all the bad people will not be punished for their bad behavior after death. I don’t like that; therefore, morality must be objective.

appeal to emotion

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Which logical reason supports the opposition to the motion "Cell phones give off an unsafe radiation and should not be used."

false causality

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“Honesty is defined as always being honest.”

circular reasoning

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"My three decades of experience in public service, my tireless commitment to the people of this community, and my willingness to reach across the aisle and cooperate with the opposition, make me the ideal candidate for your mayor." Which appeal is the primary appeal used in this quote?

fallacy of credibility

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If we let the government implant tracking devices in criminals, it's not going to stop there! They're going to want to track school children and eventually everyone!

faulty generalization

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“Birds can fly; therefore, penguins can fly.”

faulty generalization

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"Yesterday, you were late for ten minutes. Today you were late for an hour. You know someday, you will simply cease to show up." What logical fallacy is used in the statement above?

faulty generalization

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We have no evidence that the Illuminati ever existed. They must have been so clever they destroyed all the evidence

intentional

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"Tyler's friends are all obnoxious, he's a bad kid," Which Fallacy does this statement use?

faulty generalization

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While debating with a friend on which movie would be better to see, you use the argument that your opinion on movies is better because your friend picks their nose, so we shouldn’t trust them because that’s gross. What fallacy have you committed?

ad hominem

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There aren't enough parking spaces on campus because there are too many cars.

circular reasoning

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“Because young male drivers are twice as likely to get into a car accident, they should pay more for car insurance.”

faulty generalization

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Explaining that trusting the other politician will cause everyone to lose their homes and jobs

appeal to emotion

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Every time I was my car, it rains. Me washing my car has a definite effect on the weather.

false causality

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You should marry me. I know we’re not compatible, but I only have a year to live, and you’re my last chance.

appeal to emotion

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Says Robot 2, attacking Robot 1 instead of his arguments.

ad hominem

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Matt is running for class president. In his campaign speech he says, "My opponent does not deserve to win. She is a smoker and she cheated on her boyfriend last year." What fallacy has Matt committed?

ad hominem

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Speaker 1: Jesus was not really crucified. Speaker 2: How do I know that’s true? Speaker 1: Because the Quran says so. Speaker 2: How do I know the Quran is correct? Speaker 1: Because the Quran is the Word of God, and everything it says is true. Speaker 2: How do I know that’s true? Speaker 1: Because God tells us so, here in the Koran.

circular reasoning

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You should choose to work more overtime at the same rate of pay. After all, you wouldn’t want to lose your job, would you?

appeal to emotion

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In the United States, one can vote for either Democrats or Republicans.

false dilemma

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Nobody in their right mind would trust that guy. I mean, look at him!

ad hominem

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The Democrats support more aggressive gun control laws. Can you believe they want to deny repeat offenders and those on the terrorist watch list their rights?

ad hominem

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Have you stopped beating your wife?

intentional

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Nike's are great because they're awesome.

circular reasoning

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Zebedee: What is your view on the Christian God? Mike: I don’t believe in any gods, including the Christian one. Zebedee: So you think that we are here by accident, and all this design in nature is pure chance, and the universe just created itself? Mike: You got all that from me stating that I just don’t believe in any gods?

fallacy of extension

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Jimmy isn't at school today. He must be on a family trip.

false causality

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Two of my best friends are really introverted, shy people, and they both have cats. That leads to me believe that most cat lovers are really shy.

faulty generalization

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My opponent in this debate wants all of you to increase taxes for a recycling program, but his own company has been fined over a dozen times for pollution and environmental damage.

ad hominem

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Are you one of those stupid religious people that reject science?

intentional

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You moved the goalposts or made up an exception when your claim was shown to be false.

intentional

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Of course Marx' theories about the ideal society are bunk. The guy spent all his time in the library.

ad hominem

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(1) William Dembski argues that modern biology supports the idea that there is an intelligent designer who created life. (2) Dembski would say that because he’s religious. Therefore: (3) Modern biology doesn’t support intelligent design

ad hominem

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“Every society is, of course, repressive to some extent – as Sigmund Freud pointed out, repression is the price we pay for civilization.”

equivocation

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Louise is running for class president. In her campaign speech she says, "My opponent does not deserve to win. She is a smoker and she cheated on her boyfriend last year." What fallacy has Louise committed?

ad hominem

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P or Q. P. Therefore, not Q. P or Q.

fallacy of logic

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The Volkswagen Beetle is an evil car because it was originally designed by Hitler's army.

ad hominem

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Sandy: "You shouldn’t have that second piece of cake. It’s so fattening." Ralph: "Didn’t you eat an entire tub of ice cream yesterday?"

ad hominem

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I've never been hit by lightening when standing under a tree so we'll be perfectly safe to shelter by this oak now.

intentional

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President Clinton is an advocate of socialized medicine, which is a form of communism.

ad populum

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My grandmother ate 10 cloves of raw garlic every day. Not surprisingly she lived to be 102.

false causality

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politicians coin names to cast blame

ad hominem

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No one has proven God exists, so He doesn’t.

intentional

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I saw John texting yesterday, and then he got in his car and drove away; he must have crashed because he was texting. Therefore, cell phones should be banned.

false causality

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"My mom said that Colgate is the best toothpaste because almost 90% of dentists approve of this." What fallacy is being committed in the sentence above?

ad populum

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Feminism is part of “a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” (Statement from Pat Robertson)

fallacy of extension

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Person A: I think pollution from humans contributes to climate change. Person B: So, you think humans are directly responsible for extreme weather, like hurricanes, typhoons and droughts.

fallacy of extension

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"Russia has a terrible human rights record." "Well, the United States has done plenty of bad things." -the President when confronted about Russia's human rights abuses.

fallacy of relevance

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We need to stop allowing colleges to increase tuition every year. The next thing we know, it's going to cost more to attend college for one semester than it is to buy a new home!

faulty generalization

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If we ban Hummers because they are bad for the environment eventually the government will ban all cars, so we should not ban Hummers.

faulty generalization

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Someone really should move this ‘deer crossing’ sign. This is a dangerous stretch of highway and the deer really should be crossing somewhere else.

false causality

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Most Arabs are Muslims and all the 9/11 hijackers were also Muslims. Therefore most Arabs are hijackers.

fallacy of logic

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“People nowadays only vote with their emotions instead of their brains.”

faulty generalization

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If we are too scared to open the economy completely, then we'll have to keep it closed forever.

false dilemma

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I'm hardly prepared to listen to the arguments of an ignorant moron like you.

ad hominem

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Speaker 1: We are using thousands of people, who are going door to door to help us spread the word about social injustice and the need for change. Speaker: Well then, I can’t be a part of this because I was always been taught that it’s wrong to use people.

equivocation

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They are dangerous militants out to destroy our peaceful way of life.

appeal to emotion

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"The Senator must be wrong on the issue of taxes because he's such a jerk to the people who work for him."

ad hominem

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Everyone knows that Japanese DVD players are the best. After all, the outsell American players two-to-one.

ad populum

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Taco is the best because it tastes better.

circular reasoning

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Whatever is less dense than water will float, because such objects won't sink in water.

circular reasoning

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I wore my lucky red shirt when I took the test, so that is probably why I did so well on the test.

false causality

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If you miss practice, it means you were probably goofing off. People who goof off drop out of school and end up penniless.

faulty generalization

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There you are cheating on your husband, how could you ever tell us anything meaningful about ethics?

ad hominem

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Appeals to an authority that has little to nothing to do with the argument

fallacy of credibility

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My teacher told us she learned the hard way that procrastination is a bad habit!

faulty generalization

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I broke my mirror this morning, AND I failed my Civics test. I must've failed because the mirror gave me bad luck.

false causality

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You know Jane Fonda's exercise videos must be worth the money. Look at the great shape she's in.

false causality

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My first time meeting Mr. Casal went poorly, so his class will not be a good one this year.

faulty generalization

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Bill claims that tax breaks for corporations increases development. Of course, Bill is the CEO of a corporation.

ad hominem

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Being mean to others is wrong. Therefore, it cannot possibly be part of our nature.

fallacy of relevance

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If one is 16 years old or older, one can drive an automobile in Wisconsin. I saw your niece driving through Wausau yesterday. She must be at least 16.

fallacy of logic

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The milk was left out all night and was spoiled. It should have been put in the refrigerator

false causality

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I was assigned a personal trainer at the Rec, and he gave me a new workout program. But I don't have any confidence in his expertise, since he has obvious trouble controlling his own appetite.

ad hominem

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To this very day (at the time of this writing), science has been unable to create life from non-life; therefore, life must be a result of divine intervention.

intentional

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Edward Johns claimed to be psychic, but when his 'abilities' were tested under proper scientific conditions, they magically disappeared. Edward explained this saying that one had to have faith in his abilities for them to work.

intentional

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I must be telling the truth, since I’m not lying.

circular reasoning

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Speaker 1: I think we should have an expanded social safety net for the poor in our country. Speaker 2: So, you think we should just throw money at lazy people who don’t want to work and think they are entitled to be kept up by other people, right?

fallacy of extension

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The Bible is the Word of God because God tells us it is... in the Bible. X is true because of Y. Y is true because of X.

circular reasoning

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"He just says that because he's a Republican."

ad hominem

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We haven’t found King David’s tomb, so King David didn’t really exist.

intentional

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Today late for ten minutes, tomorrow late for an hour, and then someday you will simply cease to show up.

faulty generalization

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We cannot approve of this recycling idea. It was thought of by a bunch of hippie communist weirdos.

ad hominem

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There are so many experiences in the human realm that are wonderful. Sexual intimacy between two willing adults who love each other is wonderful. A therapist helping a client is wonderful. When the relationship between a therapist and client is so deep that it could be characterized as love, it's wonderful. When all these acts become part of one process between two people, it must be exceptionally wonderful. How could anyone condemn such a wonderfully human process as unethical?

faulty generalization

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That candidate wants to raise the minimum wage, but they aren't even smart enough to run a business.

ad hominem

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My uncle is a mechanic and he says you shouldn't spank children. He says it's ineffective.

fallacy of credibility

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If I say that a surgeon should be allowed to use a guidebook to carry out surgery like a student can use open notes on a test, I have made a

fallacy of logic

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"Don't listen to Mr. Fingers when he says walk in the hallways. How can you trust someone who wears bow ties?"

ad hominem

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, if everyone else is doing something, it must be right/good.

ad populum

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There must be objective rights and wrongs in the universe. If not, how can you possibly say that torturing babies for fun could ever be right?

appeal to emotion

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In many cases you can't really tell whether patients are improving because of what the therapist is doing or because of the placebo effect—there's a fuzzy line separating the two--so we must conclude that they are actually the same mechanism of improvement.

equivocation

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This fast food chain claims that they've served five billion people, so they must have the best hamburger in town. Five billion people can't be wrong!

ad populum

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"You cannot detain me. I am still grieving my cat's death."

appeal to emotion

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I'm moving to Connecticut because it is the richest state in the nation and I'm tired of being poor.

false causality

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Wilma: You cheated on your income tax. Don't you realize that's wrong Walter: Hey, wait a minute. You cheated on your income tax last year. Or have you forgotten about that?

ad hominem