Exam 6: Relevance Red Herringfallacies

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. city supervisor:Schools need support,yes,but,unfortunately,to balance the city budget we need to reduce spending by around $13 million.Some of that reduction will have to come from the schools. city resident:I don't see why.You supervisors should visit schools and talk to teachers.Teachers already work sixty to seventy hours a week.When other people are home relaxing in front of their TV set,Mr.and Mrs.Teacher are grading tests,attending meetings,or rearranging their classroom.The next time you are out fishing or playing golf,think of teachers at home preparing for next week's classes.They work very hard for very little money and rarely get any recognition for the job they've done.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. I don't think postmodern expressionism is decent art.It's another style spawned by the East Coast art establishment,and,frankly,I'm tired of that group's dictating to the rest of the art world.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage. "The assemblyman came out against the Marijuana Legalization Initiative a couple of years ago.Maybe he's been reading the polls because now he's all for it.He doesn't convince me."

Identify any fallacies in the following passage. "A trans-American oil pipeline would be great for the economy.People against it just to want to make it harder for us to drive big cars.They want to make us drive little tiny electric cars that don't over 30 miles per hour and need to be charged up every night.Who wants that!"

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. Yeah,sure the Los Angeles district attorney believes that O.J.Simpson got a fair trial.But before you sign on to something like that,you might notice that O.J.is a black man and that the Los Angeles district attorney is a white man.That tells you all you need to know about his opinion of fair trials.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. The next speaker is going to speak in favor of the idea.But she works for the gun lobby.Don't even bother listening to what she says.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. Gays in the military? Yes.Maybe you favor excluding everyone except for white Anglo-Saxon males with adolescent personalities,but not me.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. he:Well,things didn't work out quite the way I wanted,but that's the way life often is. she:That's not my philosophy.Your dreams will come true if you want them to,but you really have to want them to.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. When several people in Harvey's department get new computers,he is annoyed because he is not among them."I'll tell you what," Harvey says to his wife,"if they want to rip me off by not getting a new computer for me,I'll just rip them off for extra office supplies.They've got a lot of stuff at work we could use around here,and they'll have no way of knowing that it's gone.Turnabout's fair play."

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. "The police asked the neighbors on both sides of the Owens's home whether they'd ever seen either of them do any drugs.They all agreed they hadn't,so it's a pretty safe bet they aren't really drug users."

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. When Lebanon and Syria signed a treaty on May 22,1991,aimed at ending sixteen years of Lebanese civil war,Israel stated that the treaty was tantamount to annexation of Lebanon.Syrian President Hafez Assad responded,"It seems that the Israelis have found it beneficial to use the treaty to cover up their rejection of peace [i.e. ,to cover up Israeli opposition to U.N.Security Council resolutions calling for Israel to give up occupied Arab lands].They want to create a cause to talk about it,thinking they would thus divert the world's attention from the ongoing efforts for peace in the region."

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. Was the president guilty of sexual harassment,as the Republicans said? Hey,give me a break! What's important is jobs,health care,welfare reform.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage. "Tell me this.If you aren't losing your hearing,then how come you can't hear so well.Well?"

Identify any fallacies in the following passage. "And speaking of flip-flopping,our Secretary of State,Mr.Kerry,fought in the war in Vietnam,then spoke out against it after he got home,and now he expects us to think his foreign policy makes sense?"

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. I know it probably puts me in the unfashionable minority these days,but I really don't think much of Hank Williams's music.Ever since I learned that he drank a lot and took drugs,I've felt that way.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage. "You must make your choice.Either this man was and is the son of God;or else a madman and something worse." -C.S.Lewis

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. she:We'd do well to get a Zenith.Their salesman told me they have the best repair record of any brand on the market. he:Well,forget that.He sells Zeniths,for crying out loud;of course he'd tell you they have the best record.

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. "The San Jose Mercury News made some explosive and unsubstantiated charges in articles earlier this year suggesting the Central Intelligence Agency helped start the crack epidemic in the United States.The CIA has often behaved scandalously over the years,but no one,including the Mercury News,has produced credible evidence the CIA organized or took part in drug dealing by the Contras or that the rebels flooded Los Angeles with drugs to finance their war against the Sandinistas." -New York Times

Identify any fallacies in the following passage. "Pryor's diatribe against gun control is flat-out nonsense.He probably doesn't believe that stuff himself."

Identify any fallacies in the following passage either by naming them or,where they seem not to conform to any of the patterns described in the text,by giving a brief explanation of why the fallacious reasoning is irrelevant to the point at issue. Did you ever notice how the people who favor abortion on demand are the same people who are against the death penalty? How inconsistent can you get?