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81 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Personal Attack Ad Hominem
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Attributing negative features to someone in attempts to refute their claim.
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The Inconsistency Ad Hominem
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Rejecting what somebody says because he or she says something inconsistent with what he or she does.
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Circumstantial Ad Hominem
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Refuting someone's claim by pointing out their certain circumstance. It may sound like a personal attack ad hominem, but it can be different. It is simply point out circumstances as opposed to attacking. The two are commonly used together however.
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Poisoning the Well
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When person A poisons your mind with information about person B.
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Genetic Fallacy
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To argue that a claim is true or false on the basis of its origins is to commit a genetic fallacy.
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Division Fallacy
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An argument that claims what is true as a whole is true for its parts. "We are made out of subatomic particles. We are alive. Subatomic particles must be alive too."
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Composition Fallacy
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An argument that claims what is true of the parts is also true for the whole. "Subatomic particles are lifeless. Anything made out of them is lifeless."
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Equivocation Fallacy
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Equivocation is when one word is used in two different senses. Such as "Only man is rational. No woman is man. Therefore no woman is rational."
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Begging The Question
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When an argument begs the question it uses its premises as a conclusion. The argument is circular. For example "God exists because the bible says so." When we are asked why we should believe the article, they answer because god wrote it.
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Proof Surrogates
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An expression used to suggest that there is evidence or authority for a claim without actually citing such evidence or authority is a proof surrogate.
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Hyperbole
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An extravagant overstatement.
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Loaded Question
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Loaded questions rest on one or more unwarranted or unjustified assumptions. "Have you stopped beating your wife?"
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Weaselers
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Weaselers are linguistic methods of providing a loophole to escape criticism about your claim. "Three out of four dentists surveyed recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum.
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Downplayers
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Downplaying is an attempt to make someone or something look less important or significant.
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Slippery Slope
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Arguing that you should not do something either on the unjustified assumption that it will lead unavoidable (or with high likelihood) to some kind of disaster or unacceptable situation or on the basis that its a step in that bad direction.
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Faulty Analogy
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Assuming that because X is similar to Y in one respect, it must be similar in another respect. "Of course, there's life on other planets. Haven't you noticed that there is life on multiple islands and continents? Why should it be any different with planets?"
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Hasty Generalizations
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Drawing conclusions about things of a certain type based on a sample that is too small or not representative. "Cal students aren't so smart. My roommate's dating one and he didn't even know the name of our current vice president. What a bunch of idiots!"
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Straw Man
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Misrepresenting a claim and rejecting that misrepresentation instead of the original claim. This is the rhetorical equivalent of beating up a mere replica of a real person instead of defeating the person. Thus the name straw man.
"Christians would have you believe that just because they say so, Creationism is true. But "just because you say so" is a terrible reason to believe in the story of Adam and Eve. Thus, I cannot accept this creation story as being anything but a myth." |
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Appeal to Fear
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To use the threat of harm to support a position.
"Imagine your daughter tempted to experiment with drugs that have been smuggled into our country. Imagine your son unable to find any work because all the jobs are taken up by illegal immigrants. Worse, picture a dirty bomb going off in one of our cities, tens of thousands of men, women, and children burning to death. We need to erect a security fence along the US-Mexican border." |
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Appeal to Ignorance
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Using the mere lack of knowledge or information that would support P as support for ~P.
" I've never seen a bit of evidence that proves that women can perform as well as men in piloting aircraft. Let's leave the flying to the fly boys and find other niches for our female military personnel." |
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Appeal to the Masses
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Like it sounds,using the claim that many people believe P to support P when that claim is irrelevant.
"Well over two thirds of the American people support some kind of government intervention in the auto-industry. Do you honestly believe they're all wrong?" |
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Appeal to Authority
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Trying to support an argument with an appeal to an authority or celebrity without showing how that person's reputation is at all relevant.
" I was going to vote for McCain-Palin, but then I saw that Matt Damon clip on YouTube where he raises all these questions about Palin's beliefs. I mean, this guy's a self-made actor who worked his way into a highly competitive and chaotic field. And The Bourne Ultimatum was awesome! Remember when he takes that one guy out?" |
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You should believe in God because the Bible says so. And if you have any doubts about the truth of the Bible, well, don't forget: it's the word of God.
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Begging The Question
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The greatest joy is the joy of duty! For clearly, no other joy can surpass that joy provided by fulfilling your obligations.
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Begging The Question
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Of course you should believe in Santa Claus. If you don't, then he won't deliver any presents to you.
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Begging the Question
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This forwarded chain letter from Bill Gates is probably legit. He's upfront about who he is and why he has to communicate with us this way. And he points out that he's not a liar. Furthermore, if he did get caught lying he'd have a lot to lose at least as far as reputation goes. So, I think it really is from Gates.
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Begging The Question
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Either evolutionary theory is true or the whole of science is a farce. But there's no way the whole of science is a farce. So, evolutionary theory is clearly true.
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False Dilemma
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Either evolutionary theory is true or the whole of science is a farce. But there's no way the whole of science is a farce. So, evolutionary theory is clearly true.
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False Dilemma
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When it comes to Guantanamo, there's really no question. Either we fret over reading al Qaeda terrorists their Miranda rights or we focus on defending America. [Paraphrase of politician's quote, overheard on radio recently. Source currently unknown.]
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False Dilemma
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Why do I insist on following a raw vegan diet? Basically, because I don't fall for the idea that a good meal is a slab of dead flesh with a side of deep-fried starch.
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False Dilemma
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Exchange in TYFS:
Joey Naylor: ...but you didn't prove that vanilla was the best... Nick Naylor: I didn't have to. I proved that you're wrong, and if you're wrong I'm right. |
False Dilemma
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Your silly conspiracy theory about 9-11 being an "inside job" in which the plane that hit the Pentagon was somehow swapped with a missile has been soundly debunked. Therefore, the official line was right; it happened just as they say.
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False Dilemma
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The police are here to fight violence. This video game you're playing is violent. So, I'm calling the police.
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Equivocation
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I don't see why I need to pay to hear this best-selling author's lecture. We have a right to free speech, don't we?
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Equivocation
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Physicians take an oath to do no harm. But surgeons do harm every time they use their scalpel. So, surgeons all hypocrites.
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Equivocation
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Could machines be intelligent? Clearly they are. Think about it this way. No one will doubt that many machines are dumb simply because of the limited ways in which they perform. But to be dumb is to have a low level of intelligence. Therefore, machines have some intelligence.
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Equivocation
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George W. Bush's and Dick Cheney's interpretation of their own executive powers was extremely liberal . So liberal, in fact, it makes more sense to call them liberals than it does to call them conservatives.
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Equivocation
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God is love. Love is blind. And, Stevie Wonder is blind. Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God.
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Equivocation
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I'm sick of people complaining about the war in Iraq. People in the Muslim world need to remember that we didn't start this. They attacked us first on 9-11. And now they complain that we've invaded their country.
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Equivocation
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Snow can't be made just of snowflakes, which are tiny clear pieces of ice, because snow is obviously white and snowflakes aren't.
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Composition/Division
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Despite appearances, snow isn't really white. Here's why: It's made entirely of snowflakes and snowflakes are clear. How can a thing made entirely of clear parts be white?
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Composition/Division
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I just heard that when Donald Trump enters this bar, the average income of the customers will go up by millions. So, I'm going to sit right here and wait. Lord knows, I need the money...
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Composition/Division
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America is a divided country. If you look at their elections and polls you see ambivalence throughout. Were they for Bush or Kerry? Sure, Bush won, but it was close as can be. Are they for gay marriage or against? Well, depends on the election cycle. Do they want government money for the banks and auto industry or not? Who knows. Now, here comes Kelly, our resident American, and probably just as ambivalent as the rest of them.
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Composition/Division
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How can something as complex and beautiful as a human being arise simply from a mere collection of simple material elements? We must be made of more than plain matter.
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Composition/Division
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How can you believe that this diet works? Just look at that guy promoting it. He's a dullard. A cow-eyed mouthbreather.
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Appeal to the Person, Ad Hominem
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Don't tell me to lay off the sauce. You spent half your life drunk!
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Appeal to the Person, Ad Hominem
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Kid #3: My mommy says smoking kills.
Nick Naylor: Oh, is your mommy a doctor? Kid #3: No. Nick Naylor: A scientific researcher of some kind? Kid #3: No. Nick Naylor: Well, then she's hardly a credible expert, is she? |
Appeal to the Person, Ad Hominem
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"Romney, who drained $100 million on a creepy presidential campaign, this week decided to come to the financial rescue of embattled Republicans who are "standing up for fiscal responsibility and saying no to spending abuse" (ie, the stimulus package). Yes, that's right, the man who spent $400,000 per delegate in the Republican primary is proudly lecturing others about fiscal responsibility."--Paul Jenkins, 'Worst Week Ever: Republicans Unhinged', HuffingtionPost, 2-26-2009
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Appeal to the Person, Ad Hominem
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An example of an acknowledged ad hominem: "Mark McKinnon, a top adviser in President George W. Bush's campaigns, acknowledged the value of picking a divisive opponent. "We used a similar strategy by making Michael Moore the face of the Democratic Party," he said of the documentary filmmaker."--Washington Post, 3-6-2009.
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Appeal to the Person, Ad Hominem
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I'm sure you're all real happy with our international highways these days. Yeah, what a great idea, use the government to lace our country with billions of dollars of paved roads just so we can all drive wherever we want. But do you know who originally cooked that one up? The Nazis.
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Appeal to the Person, Ad Hominem
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Your professor thinks Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan is some kind of masterpiece. Has she told you yet that the guy was blazing on opium when he wrote it? It's garbage written by a drug fiend.
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Appeal to the Person, Ad Hominem
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The Incas didn't have rush-hour traffic. They didn't type for hours in cubicles. And they never had to worry about their 401Ks. It was a simpler time, a simpler world. So, from that world we've brought you Incan Delight Harmonic Blend, an ancient tea to soothe your modern ailments.
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Appeal to the Person, Ad Hominem
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FDR's New Deal programs were explicitly modeled on Mussolini’s Fascist State Corporatism.
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Genetic Fallacy
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I was going to vote for McCain-Palin, but then I saw that Matt Damon clip on YouTube where he raises all these questions about Palin's beliefs. I mean, this guy's a self-made actor who worked his way into a highly competitive and chaotic field. And The Bourne Ultimatum was awesome! Remember when he takes that one guy out?
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Appeal to Authority
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Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., and director of none other than the human genome project, believes in God. Do you still need a reason to give up your atheism?
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Appeal to Authority
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Holy books are not supposed to be factual historical accounts. They are allegorical works intended to give us moral direction. Thomas Jefferson, one of our country's founding fathers, understood this. In fact, he wrote his own version of the Bible, leaving out all references to the supposed miracles of Jesus.
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Appeal to Authority
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Well over two thirds of the American people support some kind of government intervention in the auto-industry. Do you honestly believe they're all wrong?
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Appeal to the Masses
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If iPods were the symptoms of some kind of social dysfunction, you wouldn't see everyone using them all the time.
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Appeal to the Masses
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Children need time to play and explore. They shouldn't be given jobs when they're still little. After all, nobody thinks kids should be employees these days!
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Appeal to the Masses
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I've never seen a bit of evidence that proves that women can perform as well as men in piloting aircraft. Let's leave the flying to the fly boys and find other niches for our female military personnel.
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Appeal to Ignorance
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Can evolution explain how a flightless species evolved into one that could fly? They've never given a satisfying answer to that one. So, I don't take this theory very seriously.
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Appeal to Ignorance
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If you're still not convinced that 9-11 was an inside job, then why don't you tell to me why Bush's cousin was kept for going to a conference originally scheduled in one of the WTC towers on that day. You can't, can you? I rest my case.
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Appeal to Ignorance
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Our dictator is benevolent! Anyone who dares to say otherwise gets thrown in prison. Or worse...
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Appeal to Fear
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Imagine your daughter tempted to experiment with drugs that have been smuggled into our country. Imagine your son unable to find any work because all the jobs are taken up by illegal immigrants. Worse, picture a dirty bomb going off in one of our cities, tens of thousands of men, women, and children burning to death. We need to erect a security fence along the US-Mexican border.
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Appeal to Fear
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Christians would have you believe that just because they say so, Creationism is true. But "just because they say so" is a terrible reason to believe in the story of Adam and Eve. Thus, I cannot accept this creation story as being anything but a myth.
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Straw Man
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People think you shouldn't smoke because everyone who smokes is going to die an early, painful death. This is so obviously not true. Worries about smoking are totally unfounded.
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Straw Man
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I don't fall for the idea that everything a scientist says is true. And yet, they are always claiming to have found The Truth about the world. But this is clearly wrong. Have you noticed, for example, how they keep changing their theories? Obviously, scientists are bull-headed ideologues with no better understanding of our world than your average Joe.
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Straw Man
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Cal students aren't so smart. My roommate's dating one and he didn't even know the name of our current vice president. What a bunch of idiots!
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Hasty Generalization
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Californians don't know what real work is. Look at my cousin, my old math teacher, even your girlfriend. They're all from California and not a one of them has ever done any real hard labor.
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Hasty Generalization
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I'd imagine that Ohio is an extremely multicultural place. Why, I just spent an hour at Columbus International Airport and I saw people from India, Japan, Israel, Korea... all over!
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Hasty Generalization
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Most kids these days seem to be interested in little more than filming their inane selves blathering away about Obama, the latest Apple gadget, and Miley Cyrus. Just spend two minutes on YouTube. You'll see.
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Hasty Generalization
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Of course, there's life on other planets. Haven't you noticed that there is life on multiple islands and continents? Why should it be any different with planets?
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Faulty Analogy
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She had the eyes of a loving mother and the smile of an angel. So, I knew I would be safe in her arms.
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Faulty Analogy
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Just as the parent guides the child, so the boss must guide the worker. And, thus, just as the parent punishes the child, so the boss must punish the worker.
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Faulty Analogy
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I'm a conservative for the following reason. Imagine I suggested we make a few changes to the workings of your laptop, just move a part here or cut a wire there, nothing rash, just a few changes. You'd likely object. Why? Because, through making changes, there are more ways to break a laptop than to improve or even maintain it. The same goes for our society. Instead of making alterations which could prove devastating, I think it's a better bet to keep everything as is. [Inspired by Australian philosopher, David Stove.]
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Faulty Analogy
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You should never let your children cry. Once the realize they can do that, they'll be throwing temper tantrums every chance they get.
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Slippery Slope
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Don't smoke pot. A lot of people who smoke pot go on to try opium or meth or other worse drugs. And a lot of people who do that end up hooked and messed up for life.
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Slippery Slope
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Gay marriage is a bad step in a terrible direction. What's next? Are we going to allow a person to marry multiple spouses? Or one of their farm animals? Let's stop here and keep marriage between one man and one woman.
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Slippery Slope
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Playing these video games is a way of partaking in imaginary violence. And partaking in imaginary violence is like partaking in real violence. So the more you play, the closer you are to being truly violent. Do you want to become a violent criminal? You should stop playing these games and put your efforts into something more placid, like puppetry!
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Slippery Slope
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"Marx,Lenin,Stalin,Pol pot all believed their country could be more compassionate to the less fortunate.And they killed millions following the same path that Obama has started down."--Yahoo! Answers reply to the question, Why are so many people willing to believe conservative fear mongering?
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Slippery Slope
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Here's the bottom line: either the Constitution matters or it doesn't. And if we're willing to ignore the constitutional requirements for the highest office in the land, what else are we willing to forgo? That part about free speech? Freedom of the press? Freedom of religion? If we are willing to shred one part of the Constitution, brace yourself to lose the rest.--WorldNetDail, 'The Constitution Still Matters', Janet Porter
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Slippery Slope
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