Lecture 12 Appeal to Pity More informal fallacies: Appeal to Pity An appeal to pity fallacy is Straw Man committed when the arguer attempts to influence the listener Appeal to Force not by providing good reasons for Appeal to Authority the conclusion, but by mentioning sad or difficult circumstances that are irrelevant to the issue.
Professor Grush, I know I I think we should give the bombed the midterm, but surely I academy award to Russell Crowe. deserve to pass the class. My I mean, he should have received grandmother died, my car broke it last year for The Insider, and he down, and my dog got hit by the has had such a hard time getting Amtrak train from Fresno. I can’t any good roles for a long time. control things like this!!
Straw Man
I don’t think that Lawrence This fallacy is committed when Phillips should get the Heisman the arguer distorts an opponent’s Trophy this year. After all, he was position, directs arguments at this accused of rape and a number of distorted position, and claims to other violent crimes during his have defeated the opponent’s real time at Nebraska. argument.
Ms. Smith has argued against The student committee has prayer in the public schools. presented us with an argument Obviously she advocates atheism. favoring alcohol privileges on But atheism is what they have in campus. What do the students Russia. Atheism leads to the want? Is it their intention to stay suppression of all religions and boozed up from the day the enter the replacement of God by an as freshmen to the day they omnipotent state. Is this what we graduate? Do they want a chain of want? Of course not. Ms. Smith’s bars across the campus? Such a position is nonsense. proposal is ridiculous!
Appeal to force
Appeal to force is committed when the arguer threatens (even Little Ricky to his smaller brother: implicitly) that some harm will Power Rangers is the best show come to the persuadee unless the on TV, and if you don’t think so, persuadee accepts the conclusion. I’ll beat the crap out of you. It is a fallacy if the harmful circumstances are not related to the topic of the conclusion of argument.
Secretary to boss: I deserve a You should turn around, because raise. After all, you know that I an insane postal employee with a am good friends with your wife, baseball bat is right behind you, and it would be too bad if she and you will want to avoid the bat learned about that ‘business trip’ if possible, otherwise you’ll be you took last month with Buffy knocked wacky. from accounting. Appeal to authority
It’s financially advisable for yous to join our protection This fallacy is committed when organization. Think of all the the arguer cites as evidence the money you will lose in broken authority or testimony of windows, damaged merchandise, someone who is not in fact an and fires if yous decide not to authority in the relevant subject join. area. !
Brad Pitt said in a recent I need to buy some drinks for the interview that nuclear power party tonight. I think I’ll get Diet plants should be shut down Pepsi, because that’s what MC because they are unsafe. So I am Hammer says has the best taste. going to vote to close them down since they are clearly unsafe.
Additional Examples
Lester Brown, author of the annual State of the World report, has said that the depletion of the rain forests is one of the ten most serious problems worldwide. Thus, it must be the case that this is in fact a very serious problem. Starr has accused President Of course God exists! Every Clinton of lying under oath and culture throughout history has engaging in other unethical had religious beliefs. How could practices. But Starr himself has all these people be wrong? acted unethically, as this report shows, and has probably lied about having sex with interns too.
Humanitarian groups have argued recently for housing for the poor and homeless. Unfortunately, Spike Lee says the NBA owners high-density housing projects are being greedy and forcing the have been tried in the past and players to accept a bad deal. So have failed. In a short time they obviously the owners are to turn into ghettos with high crime blame for the lockout. rates. Chicago’s Cabrini-Green is a prime example. So we should reject the proposal by these so- called humanitarians.
Senator Collins supports the proposal for the new B-2 I know that some of you are bomber. But his arguments in against appointing Sarah Cole as favor of this project should be the new sales manager. But you discounted, since the primary should reconsider. If she is not bidder on the B-2 bomber comes appointed, I will surely decrease from the state he represents. the budget for your department next year severely. You have heard Congressman Mr. Jones, surely I’m qualified for Atkins’ arguments in favor of the open position in your reduced military expenditures. accounting department. I need But surely you won’t take them the money desperately, and if I seriously. Atkins, as you know, is don’t get a job soon I know I’ll an admitted alcoholic, and his have a nervous breakdown. wife, who is a very decent person, just divorced him.
Everyone is selfish; everyone is doing what he believes will make Amanda: I think tax cuts for the himself happier. The recognition rich would be great for the of that can take most of the sting economy. out of accusations that you're Ted: Of course you do. You’re being 'selfish.' Why should you rich. feel guilty for seeking your own happiness when that's what everyone else is doing, too?
Prof. Grimshaw argues that Beth: You can’t do that. That’s an Shakespeare’s plays were actually illegal move. A pawn can’t move written by the Duchess of York. backwards. His evidence for this claim is a Andy: But you just did the same letter supposedly written by the thing two moves ago! Duchess to Ben Jonson. However,
recent scholarship suggests that this letter is a forgery, so Grimshaw’s bold conjecture must be rejected. I don’t know how you can take The President must be doing a Heidegger seriously. He was a bad job. His approval ratings are Nazi sympathizer, you know. really low.
I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to I would advise you not to date my class yesterday. My grandmother sister. If you do, I’ll break your passed away and I had to attend legs. her funeral.
My opponent claims that voting for him will improve relations Mom, I can’t believe you’re with our neighboring countries. getting on my case for smoking But that is hard to believe, weed. Dad said you used to drop because he’s been funding a acid when you were in high guerilla army that intends to school. Where do you get off invade Canada. criticizing me?
Kekule says that benzene has a ring-like structure. But he also says that this idea first came to him in a dream. Why should I trust any scientific claim that was inspired by a dream?