ENTRY 4
ANALYZING ARGUMENTS
Item 1: Video: Advertisement of Number One
1. Description of the advertisement:
A man drinking Number One can be so strong, active and energetic that he could save the woman. Whereas, the other man who does not drink Number One can not be such strong.
2. Argument structure:
- Premise: If you drink Number One, then you are strong, active and energetic.
- Premise: You do not drink Number One.
- Conclusion: Therefore, you are not strong, active and energetic.
3. Fallacy : Structural fallacy - Denying the antecedent.
4. Analysis:
If A, then B
Not A
Þ not B
The similar valid:
If A, then B
Not B
Þ not A
In fact, there are many factors making a man strong, active and energetic apart from Number One, such as: exercises, reasonable diet, and so on.
Item 2 : Image :
1. Fallacy : Structural fallacy - Reasoning with “some”.
2. Argument structural:
Penguins = S
Black and white = P
Old TV shows = Q
- Premise: Some S are P.
- Premise: Some Q are P.
- Conclusion: Some S are Q.
3. Analysis:
The phrase “ black and white” is too general, and there are many things which are “black and white”. “Penguins” and “some old TV shows” can be “black and white” but they can not be the same. In this argument, the premises are right, but the inference are wrong à invalid argument.
Item 3: Video: "Don't Wake Up in a Roadside Ditch"
1. Description:
- When your cable company keeps you on hold, you get angry.
- When you get angry, you go blow-off steam.
- When you go blow-off steam, accidents happen.
- When accidents happen, you get an eye-patch.
- When you get an eye-patch, people think you’re tough.
- When people think you’re tough, people want to see how tough.
- And when people want to see how tough, you wake-up in a roadside ditch.
- Don’t wake-up in a roadside ditch. Get rid of cable.
2. Fallacy: Fallacy of presumption - Slippery slope
3. Analysis:
- When your cable company keeps you on hold (hidden premise: people get angry when their company puts them on hold).
- When you get angry (hidden premise: people go blow off when they get angry à factual error).
- When you go blow off (hidden premise: people make accident when they go blow off à factual error).
- When accidents happen (hidden premise: people get eye-patch when accidents happen à factual error).
- When you get an eye-patch (hidden premise: you are thought to be tough when you get an eye-patch à factual error).
- When people think you are tough (hidden premise: people want to see how tough when they think you are tough à factual error).
- When people want to see how tough (hidden premise: people will make you wake up in a roadside ditch when they want to see how tough à factual error).
This argument has lots of insufficient and untrue premises which lead to other false premises. Consequently, the conclusion “get rid of cable” seems to be unreasonable and unsound.
“Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists…”
(George W. Bush, The Washington
Source:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/attacked/transcripts/bushaddress_092001.html
1. Fallacy: Fallacy of presumption - False dilemma.
2. Analysis:
George W. Bush, in his speech, declared that: “Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.”. He only gave readers 2 choices: “with us” and “with terrorists”. However, in fact, there are some other choices which could be made by every nation apart from these 2 selections, they can decide to be neutral, not “with us” or “with terrorists”, to name just a few.
1. Fallacy : Fallacy of presumption - Post-hoc fallacy.
2. Analysis :
- The issue that the bear said that the white dog was poopy-head does not cause the conflict between the pig and the turtle. However, the white dog blames this conflict on the bear à false premise.
- The issue that the bear said that the white dog was poopy-head = event A.
- The conflict between the pig and the turtle = event B.
- Event A happens before event B; however, event A can not be the cause of event B.
my god! how amazing! u have 5 items. my idol! so hard working. i hope the teacher will add a bonus for u! good luck!
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