Philosophy 4- Dr. Carroll 
Sacramento City College - Fall 2001

From students, assigned to find fallacies in newspaper and magazine advertisements, letters to the editor or news stories.

Item: Ad for the “LifeHammer”, described as a safety tool that can be used to smash car windows and cut through seatbelts. “Don’t get trapped in your car. Reach for LifeHammer.” Correctly identified as an irrelevant appeal to fear.

Item: letter to ed. Re “Pharmacists resist panic demands for antibiotics,” Would someone please tell me who all these irresponsible doctors are who are writing thousands of prescriptions for Cipro for healthy, not-at-risk patients? Correctly identified as a loaded question.

Item: Katherine Harris says she is “more committed than ever to serving the president” and that is why she is running for Congress. Correctly identified as a non sequitur. (Her reasoning might be stated: I want to help the president; therefore, I should run for Congress.) Congress is the legislative branch of government and does not exist to help the executive branch. (She must have gone to school with California governor Gray Davis, who announced shortly after taking office that the State Legislature's job was to implement his vision.) 

Item: letter to ed. Already the argument over how to replace the World Trade Center towers has begun. To replicate them is economically unsound, strategically foolhardy and, frankly insulting to the dead, as if, by putting the buildings back, we can make things as they were. Incorrectly identified as a slippery slope argument. Here the arguer gives several reasons for not rebuilding the WTC, but does not assert without reasons that if we do rebuild the WTC a chain of horrible events will be set in motion.

Item: an ad for Asilomar, a conference center on the ocean near Monterey Bay. The ad has a photo taken from inside the tube of an ocean wave looking across the water at the setting sun. MAKE WAVES AT YOUR NEXT MEETING. Asilomar: A Unique Destination for your next meeting or retreat. Visit the Central Coast’s historic “refuge by the sea.” Incorrectly identified as an irrelevant appeal to pleasure. The setting of a conference center is relevant to choosing one. To appeal to the pleasurable setting is relevant.

Item: an editorial on how good it is of the New York Times to devote a full page every day to those who lost their lives on September 11^th. The editorial ends with As the playwright Arthur Miller once wrote memorably in a different context, “Attention must be paid.” So it must. Incorrectly identified as an irrelevant appeal to authority. The author was not trying to establish the truth of a controversial or questionable claim by appealing to an authority on the matter. (It is understandable that the student would not recognize that the author has found something resonant in Miller’s lines for Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman and the tribute being paid by the NYT to the human beings who had this terrible thing happen to them. This was not an appeal to authority but a very poignant connection. The Times has made the collection of biographical sketches available online at www.nytimes.com/portraits)

Item: letter to ed. In plain English, would you rather die or kill? This was correctly identified as a false dilemma and a loaded question.

Item: letter to ed. Now that we have more police protection at our airport, water supplies and sewage plants to protect us from terrorists, we have ended up with less protection in our cities. So now if a small group of terrorists decide that a local mall would be a good target, there are fewer police officers available to protect us. The solution to this is simple! Allow Californians to carry a weapon. (The argument is that Californians should be allowed to carry weapons because the police can’t protect us as we go about our daily lives. They can’t protect us because they have been reassigned to airports, water supplies and sewage plants to protect those places against terrorists.) Incorrectly identified as evading the issue and by another student as a hasty conclusion. The argument is based on a false dilemma and is a non sequitur. The arguer assumes that the police protect either the places mentioned or they protect us in the cities, but not both. But even if it were true that the police are spread too thin to protect us at the mall, it would not follow that we should be allowed to carry weapons. The arguer also falsely assumes that before the attention to terrorism there were armed police officers in the cities sufficient to deter terrorists from attacking citizens.

Item: letter to ed. David Horowitz believes that anti-war protestors “will do things that can hurt people… and collaborating with a terrorist group is one of them.” Who will Horowitz hurt by these misguided accusations? Correctly identified as a loaded question.

Item: ad for Vaniqa; picture of face of beautiful woman “If the moustach that prevents you from getting close is your (not his)…” Incorrectly identified as an ad populum appeal. The ad is an irrelevant appeal to vanity and probably suppresses evidence (the model probably does not have a moustache).

Item:  ad for Cheez Whiz: It does for chips what silicone did for the bikini industry. Incorrectly identified as an argument from ignorance. The ad is a irrelevant comparison and an irrelevant appeal to humor.

Item: ad for ReplayTV: You won’t believe what you can do with ReplayTV. It’s not a VCR—it’s a digital video recorder, so you can actually pause live television and do your own live instant replays.  Incorrectly identified as an irrelevant comparison. The ad compares ReplayTV to a VCR to distinguish the two types of machines and provides useful information for someone who might think that ReplayTV is a type of VCR.

Item: a paid ad which claims that anti-choice members of Congress began lobbying for their anti-choice measures six days after the terrorist attacks. The author, Alison Gaulden, then lists some of the proposals that have been made. She finishes up with Osama bin Laden, his followers and the Taliban restrict freedoms for their country’s women. Our anti-choice Congress is attempting to restrict reproductive freedom for our country’s women. Whose side are they on? Correctly identified as an irrelevant comparison and a loaded question.

Item: letter to ed.  Would you buy a car that was a risk? Maybe one that did not have shatter-proof glass? So why are we buying products that put us at risk? Namely Arab oil! The third question is correctly identified as a loaded question. (The first two are not loaded.)

Item: letter to the ed.  (Note: the letter that appeared just prior to this one was about an editorial that defended the right to speak out against the bombing of Afghanistan. What a surprise! The Bee is tolerant of the peacenik crowd displaying their anti-Americanism. These leftists and pro-terrorists don’t have a clue of the sacrifices former generations made to allow them the form to vomit their propaganda. With Halloween approaching, it’s fitting that we recognize these anti-Americans for what they are: environmental extremists, animal rights activists, anti-globalists and pro-terrorists. Their costumes may change, but their extremists “hate America first” cause remains. Hiding under a cloak of peace and a perverse interpretation of the First Amendment, these “peace terrorists” don’t fool us. Neither does the Bee. You’re either with America or you’re against her. Correctly identified poisoning the well throughout the letter and the concluding false dilemma.

Item: another letter to the ed on the same subject, those who would oppose the bombing of Afghanistan: Although freedom of speech is a fundamental of our liberty, those protesters who would march and speak against America’s right to self-defense disgrace not only the thousands of victims who still lay buried in the rubble of the World Trade Center and Pentagon, but also the countless men and women who have given their lives to defend this great country….American who choose to march and speak against our government are shameless, and guilty of treason. Incorrectly identified as an ad populum argument. The arguer appeals to guilt and begs the question.

Item: a quote from someone identified as “a Milford resident who has been battling the Sierra Army Depot since 1995.” This is it! It’s all over – the permits, the hearings and, most of all, the pollution.” Incorrectly identified as a slippery slope argument. This is not even an argument.

Item: a quote from a student (context unknown): Thank you for believing in me, pushing me to do my best, and for being Mr. Haddeman.” Incorrectly identified as an irrelevant appeal to vanity. This is not even an argument.

Item: advertisement for Neutrogena shampoo: Works like the first time. Every time. Incorrectly identified as committing the gambler’s fallacy. (Seems like this one was stuck in hoping I wouldn’t read it!) Same for the next one, an ad for a mercury cruiser bicycle: Ocean…Lotion…Motion. What else do you need? Incorrectly identified as a slippery slope argument!

Item: ad for Silk Effects razor:  Say goodbye to nasty nicks. Incorrectly identified as poisoning the well.

Item: letter to the ed. On Oct. 18, the Associated Students of the University of California Davis (ASUCD) Senate rejected a bill that would require them to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before the start of each Senate meeting. This clear refusal to show their pride and loyalty to America offends every citizen in this great state of California who funds this university. Incorrectly identified as a non sequitur. (The argument is that the ASUCD should not have rejected the bill because to do so is to refuse to show pride etc.) This arguer is poisoning the well.

Item: letter to the editor: It is truly a sad day when “part of a school’s civic responsibility is reminding students they can choose not to salute the flag or sing patriotic songs.” What a shame that America has fallen so low as to disrespect the values upon which our nation was founded! Harry Potter has taken the place of the Ten Commandments in the classrooms. Now they are teaching that patriotism is a matter of choice! What values will be held by our next generation of leaders? Rome fell from within, and the same thing is happening to America. Correctly identified as an example of slippery slope reasoning. The argument also begs the question. The issue is whether such freedom is disrespectful and unpatriotic. (The argument is that we should be required to salute the flag and sing patriotic songs because to do otherwise is disrespectful to patriotic values and giving students a choice in the matter will lead to America’s collapse.)

Item: letter to the ed.  Mayor Rudolph Guiliani endorsed Republican mayoral hopeful Michael Bloomberg on Saturday, and the media billionaire promised to follow in Guiliani’s footsteps and build on his accomplishments.  Incorrectly identified as an irrelevant appeal to authority. There is no attempt to establish a controversial point by asserting that some authority believes it.

Item: letter to ed.  More than 300 people with disabilities in Sacramento could lose their homes and be forced to live on the streets, advocates say, if Congress doesn't renew funding for a program that helps nearly 30,000 families across the country. Incorrectly identified as a false dilemma. (If this is an argument for continuing the funding, it begs the question. Where is the evidence that anyone will lose his or her home?)

Item: a female professional football player wrote a letter about a conversation she had with a man.  I challenged him to come out and see us practice. He did, and he told me he was going to buy a season seat. He saw what we’re all about. Incorrectly identified as a non sequitur. This is not even an argument.

Many students noticed that many companies were displaying the flag or running red, white and blue ads, with mottoes such as “united we stand.” You correctly identified these appeals to patriotism (which are usually reserved for the 4^th of July ads).

Item: letter to the ed. Several letters to the editor in the Oct. 22 issue of Newsweek spoke of acts of terrorism committed against the United States as a “consequence of failed American foreign policy.” This is an outrage! While a constant examination of our foreign policy is always appropriate, to rationalize or justify in any way the actions taken by deluded madmen on Sept. 11 is preposterous and insulting to the thousands of innocent lives lost. Whether people agree with American foreign policy or not, the target of our actions is never innocent civilians. Nor will it ever be! To excuse terrorism, for any reason, is to endorse it. Incorrectly identified as arguing in a circle. This is a straw man argument. The author has caricatured those who cited a failed foreign policy as a causal factor in the terrorist attacks were not excusing targeting civilians or endorsing terrorism. They were offering an explanation not an excuse, but the author has presented their position in a distorted way to make it easier to attack.  

Item: an interview with Egyptian president Hosni Murabnak: Q. Suicide bombing has been condoned by the Egyptian press. Don't you think it should be condemned? A. We are against killing innocent people by suicide bombs. Suicide bomging is a result of the Israeli seige. Correctly identified as evading the issue.

Item: ad for something called Transdermal Lip Plumper. You want full, plump, sensual lips for the same reason everybody wants full plump, sensual lips. They're sexy. They make you look young, provocative, and mysterious -- even a little dangerous. Correctly identified as several questionable assumptions, ad populum appeal and appeal to vanity.

Item: letter to ed. What balderdash to say that any effort to eliminate Osama bin Laden is doomed to failure due to our dependence on foreign oil. If the United States put up a big sign on each coast saying, "We pay $12 per barrel of oil to anyone" we would be inundated with oil." Incorrectly identified as arguing in a circle. This is a non sequitur. 

Item: letter to the ed. It's shocking that our government would rather shoot down an airliner full of innocent passengers, including children, than arm captains to immediately solve an intrusion problem. Correctly identified as an appeal to fear. It is also a false dilemma. (There are more options than either shooting down airliners or arming the captains.)

Item: letter to ed. The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $667, 050 fine against America West Airlines for thousands of flights made between 1997 and 2000 by planes in violation of FAA regulations. Incorrectly identified as a slippery slope fallacy. This is not an argument.

Item: a letter from the editor of Self magazine to readers:  I get emotional before every call to one particular friend. Suddenly, "How are you?" has become a loaded question.) Incorrectly identified as a loaded question. The writer is not asking a question but mentioning how emotional the question has become with a certain friend.

Item: newspaper? article:  A report in the Archives of Internal Medicine says that people who opt for wine after work are likely to be smarter, happier and better adjusted than those who prefer beer. Although previous studies have extolled the health benefits of wine, researchers now think it's possible that wine drinkers have healthy habits. Incorrectly identified as arguing in a circle. This is not an argument.

Item: an ad:  Hydroxycut has quickly become one of the most popular weight-loss products for men and women all across America. It has been featured on commercial TV networks nationwide, and used by television actors, fashion models and thousands of people for one reason -- it works! Correctly identified as an ad populum appeal. 

Item: news article about the head of the Red Cross being forced out of her post: Healy's critics said that she was an autocratic and arrogant manager who had put at risk the good will of one of the world's most revered charities. Most recently, she had flip-flopped on whether the Red Cross should join a central data base keeping track of how much each victim's family would receive from donations raised after the terrorists. attacks. Incorrectly identified as an ad hominem attack. There was no attempt to refute an argument by attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.

Item: a news story about a federal appeals court overturning the conviction of a prison guard (David Lewis) for shooting an inmate (Harry Long) in the chest. Federal prosecutors said Lewis targeted Long because he was a convicted child molester. Incorrectly identified as poisoning the well. There is no argument here, nor is there an attempt to rebut an argument.

Item: letter to the ed. Obviously, whoever is responsible for the anthrax attacks is using the collection box to start the damage. Incorrectly identified as an argument from ignorance. This is a statement, not an argument.