Entry 4- Trần Thị Thu Thà

Trần Thị Thu Thà

Class: QH10E7

                           
                     Entry4: Argument Structures and Fallacies

                                                 Item 1

Teacher: How old is your dad.
Student: He is as old as I am.
Teacher: How is it possible?
Student: Because he became a dad only after I was born

   
 Source: http://jilljuck.com/Teacher-Student-Jokes

Structure:

He became a dad only after I was born
My age is counted from I was born

 

My dad is as old as I am

è  
    

è  There is structure of fallacy. It is invalid because it contains false premise , the father’s age must be counted from he was born not from he became a dad.

                                          
                                         Item 2

GIRL : I think the poorest people are the happiest.
BOY : Then marry me and we'll be the happiest couple
 

 Source: http://www.laughitout.com/2007/09/funny-conversation-between-boy-and-girl.html

Analysis:     The poorest people are the happiest

                   I am the poorest

                   you marry me

 

                  
                   We will be the happiest couple

è  
 Valid but unsound

It contains false premise “ the poorest people are the happiest” because not all the poorest are the happiest. The happiest depends on not only material but also  many other elements such as love, harmony….

                                                      Item 3

       I've met three race drivers today and they all were rather aggressive. Clearly, race drivers are all aggressive.

 Source: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/argument/fallacies/hasty_generalization.htm

Hasty – generation:  three race drivers I have meet today   are aggressive but it is not true that all the race drivers are aggressive too . it is true for small group but not the whole group