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4. Whenever the Boston Red Sox have been in the World Series I have always
bet on them, and I have always lost. They must win the World Series this year
since they have never won it. This must be their year!
5. We either have to commit to having troops in Iraq for as long as it takes or we
cut and run. We can’t cut and run, so we must commit to our having troops in
Iraq for as long as it takes.
6. Every member of the U. S. Olympic Basketball team was an all-star basketball
player in the NBA, therefore it will be an excellent team.
7. You can’t escape bad karma! Jim broke his leg shortly after he failed to help
a blind person cross the street.
8. Sixty-one percent of respondents to a recent survey by Nascar Today
confirmed that a majority of Americans believe that Nascar races are more
exciting than soccer matches.
9. We should not allow doctor assisted suicide. The proponents of that view
think that doctors should be able to assist anyone who wants to commit
suicide at any time, but clearly that would be unacceptable!
10. You should never lie. If you allow yourself to tell a lie about whether
someone’s haircut or new outfit looks good, then pretty soon you will allow
yourself to lie to your spouse about what you bought at the mall, and then you
will find yourself lying on your tax forms and whenever it suits you.
XV. CHAPTER FIFTEEN: INFORMAL FALLACIES
Each passage below is intended to contain a fallacy. For each passage, explain what the
error consists in and provide the standard fallacy label that is most appropriate.
1. No one has shown that there is no life on other planets, so I am justified in
believing that there is life on other planets.
2. If this new drug works then I will be better in five days. I do feel better in five
days. Therefore, this new drug works.
3. It is true that every event has a cause because everything must come from
something.
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XV. ANSWERS
1. Appeal to ignorance: The mere fact that we have no proof that there is no life on
other planets does not provide any evidence that there is life there.