Entry 4
Part 1:
If you hate Slippery Slope arguments, you will do poorly in class.
If you do poorly in class, you will drop out of school.
If you drop out of school, you will commit crimes
If you commit crime, you will go to prison.
If you go to prison, you will die of AIDS.
–> Slippery Slope
Analysis: The process of inference:
If you hate Slippery Slope arguments (hidden premise: Students who hate Slippery Slope argument will do purely in class –> factual error)
————>> You will do poorly in class (hidden premise: Students who do poorly in class will drop out of chool –> factual error)
————>> You will drop out of school (hidden premise: People who drop out of school will commit crimes –> factual error)
————>> You will commit crimes (hidden premise: People who commit crimes will go to prison –> factual error)
————>> You will go to prison (hidden premise: People who go to prison will die of AIDS –> factual error)
————>> You will die of AIDS
We see that the funny inferences above are put in order like a sequence of increasingly untrue premises. Consequently, the conclusions seem to be so unreasonable and unacceptable.
Part 2:
1. String theory is the most recent development in physics.
Therefore:
String theory is true.
2. Religion is old-fashioned; atheism is a much more recent development.
Therefore:
Atheism is true.
–> Appeal to Novelty
Analysis:
Each of these arguments commits the appeal to novelty fallacy. The former takes the newness of string theory to be evidence that string theory is true; the latter takes the newness of atheism to be evidence that atheism is true. Merely being a new idea, of course, is no guarantee of truth. The newness of string theory and atheism alone, then, should not be taken to be evidence of the truth of these two positions.
Part 3:
1. Everyone likes beautiful people, so buy Teeth-Brite ™ toothpaste and become beautiful. Everyone will approve of your choice.
2. Polls suggest that President Jones will win the election, so you may as well vote for him.
3. Everyone knows that the Earth is flat, so why do you persist in your outlandish claims?
–> Appeal to popularity
Analysis:
Three examples above indicate that the speaker supposes that
IF : – someone does something they consider true (Polls thinks that President Jones will win the election)
– a group of people or large number of people do something (everyone likes beautiful people, so buy Teeth-Brite, Everyone knows that the Earth is flat)
THAT MEANS the others should also do the same way. But we can not conclude anything if just basing on the subjective view like that.