Entry 4_Lê Thị Thu Hường

Entry 4_ Lê Thị Thu Hường

                                Entry 4

ARGUMENT STRUCTURES AND FALLACIES

    Item 1:

                                All cats have four legs

                                Milu(the dog) has four legs

                                 Therefore,Milu is a cat

                                                                                                 

   - Structural Fallacies

   - Analysis:

All cats have four legs      :        All  S is P

Milu (the dog) has four legs :     a is P

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Therefore, Milu is a cat          :    a is S

=> The argument is valid but unsound

  

   Item 3:

          “John, the Italian, stole her bag. Thus, all Italians are thieves”

    -Structure:

   Premise 1:John is an Italian

   Premise 2:John stole her bag

   Conclusion : All Italians are thieves

   -Fallacies of presumption :  Hasty generalization

   - Analysis : This is an example of hasty generalization argument which is one kind of fallacies of presumption.

John is one of millions Italians. John stole the bag but all other Italians did not do anything like that. Therefore, it is impossible to go to conclusion of all Italians are thieves. Besides, it is hasty to conclude that whoever stealing something is thief. That is a hasty generalization argument.

 Item 3:

  

                    Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists…”

(George W. Bush, The Washington Post, 2001)

  

  

     -Fallacy of presumption: false dilemma

    - Analysis:” either-or” .George Bush gives a choice between “with us” and another “ with the terrorists” even though there are other choices which could be made.People can have other choices.