MODR 1730 Lecture Notes - American Civil Liberties Union, Genetic Fallacy
11 Oct 2012
School
Department
Course
Professor
Hanzhi Zhu
Student number: 212535340
Exercise 7.3
31.MC: it is reasonable to expect that political bodies will become less and less
active the longer they are in existence, and they, too, will eventually die.
P1: human bodies become less active as they grow older and they eventually die.
Faulty analogy. The main conclusion - it is reasonable to expect that political
bodies will become less and less active the longer they are in existence, and they,
too, will eventually die - is supported by inappropriate premise - human bodies
become less active as they grow older and they eventually die. This argument
compares the aging of human body and the decaying of political bodies. The
difference is that the aging of human body is inevitable; but the activeness of
political bodies does not depend on how long they exist.
33.MC: My neighbors and I cannot be blamed for discrimination when it comes to
deciding who is to live in our condominium building.
P1: We make discriminations all through life
P2: if people are not allowed to discriminate, how can they make decisions
between right and wrong.
P3: we cannot even act respeonsibly if we must be indiscriminate in their choice.
Appeal to common practice. The main conclusion - My neighbors and I cannot be
blamed for discrimination when it comes to deciding who is to live in our
condominium building - is supported by the inappropriate premise - We make
discriminations all through life. In this case, discrimination is common, but
common practice is not the best choice.
34.MC: we cannot ban gambling.
P1: gambling is something we can’t avoid – an integral part of human experience.
P2: people gamble every time they get into their cars or decide to get married.
Equivocation. Two premises support the main conclusion - we cannot ban
gambling -. In the first premise, “gambling” means gaming. In the premise,
“gambling” means to risk. If we substitute the meaning in p1 to p2, it make no
sence - people is gaming every time they get into their cars or decide to get
married.
38.MC: this country is like a machine.
P1: no matter who operate it, it will run in essentially the same way.
P2: it does not matter who is prime minister or which party is in power.
Faulty analogy. The main conclusion - this country is like a machine - is
supported by the comparison between country and machine. Administrating a
country is much more complex than operating the machine.
Document Summary
31. mc: it is reasonable to expect that political bodies will become less and less active the longer they are in existence, and they, too, will eventually die. P1: human bodies become less active as they grow older and they eventually die. This argument compares the aging of human body and the decaying of political bodies. The difference is that the aging of human body is inevitable; but the activeness of political bodies does not depend on how long they exist. 33. mc: my neighbors and i cannot be blamed for discrimination when it comes to deciding who is to live in our condominium building. P2: if people are not allowed to discriminate, how can they make decisions between right and wrong. P3: we cannot even act respeonsibly if we must be indiscriminate in their choice. In this case, discrimination is common, but common practice is not the best choice.
