Nguyễn Hồng Ngọc

ENTRY 4_NGUYEN HONG NGOC

ARGUMENT FALLACIES

                                                            ITEM 1

The child and his mother:

A curious child asked his mother: “Mommy, why are some of your hairs turning grey?”
The mother tried to use this occasion to teach her child: “It is because of you, dear. Every bad action of yours will turn one of my hairs grey!”
The child replied innocently: “Now I know why grandmother has only grey hairs on her head.”

Source: http://academictips.org/blogs/funny-short-stories/

Fallacy type: Affirming the consequent.
Analysis:
A bad action of the child –> A hair of the mother turns grey
 (If A –> B)
Grandmother’s hairs are all grey
(B)
Mother has done a lot of bad actions
(Therefore, A)
This argument fails due to structural fallacy.

                                                      

                                                       ITEM 2

 “Men are completely unreliable. Take Mike Chadway, for instance. He up and quit the show, without so much as a word. You think you know what men are going to do. You think you know what men want to do, but when it comes right down to that moment where they need to step up and, I don’t know, make a move – they chicken out.”
(Abby Richter – The Ugly Truth the movie)

Source: http://kissmyquotes.com/textquotes/the-ugly-truth-movie.php

Fallacy type: Hasty generalization
Analysis: In this argument, the woman, or Abby Richter, speaks from her experience with a specific man in a specific situation to make a general conclusion for all men that they are “completely unreliable”. Her argument cannot be considered solid because one man can hardly represent all men in the world.

                                                        ITEM 3

“God must love stupid people. He made so many.”

Source: http://www.scrapbook.com/quotes/doc/8189/69.html

 Fallacy type: Slippery Slope
Analysis:
(Hidden premise) God made people –> God made stupid people
God made stupid people
(Hidden premise) If you make something, you must love it
God loves stupid people.
In this argument, both of the hidden premises are without solid proof. Therefore, this argument can be deemed invalid.