PRACTICE SCENARIOS FOR CHAPTER THREE

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PRACTICE SCENARIOS FOR CHAPTER THREE EACH OF THE CASES PRESENTED BELOW CONTAIN AT LEAST ONE OF THE FALLACIES DISCUSSED IN THIS CHAPTER. FOR EACH CASE, NAME AT LEAST ONE FALLACY IT CONTAINS AND EXPLAIN HOW THE PERSON WHO COMMITTED THE FALLACY MIGHT HAVE AVOIDED IT. THAT IS, EXPLAIN HOW THIS PERSON COULD HAVE MORE EFFECTIVELY DEALT WITH HIS OR HER SITUATION. 1. John has been married to Fran for twelve years. Recently, Fran has announced her intention to file for a divorce. Here is what John tells his marriage counselor: John: "Fran has been a very important part of my life. If my marriage ends, then my whole life might as well have ended too." Answer: If…Then Fallacy John is using the If…Then fallacy. John could have dealt with this situation by not assuming that his life might as well be over just because his wife wants a divorce. John should instead, self-reflect, look at his qualities and skills in order to prosper in his own self. 2. Gloria and her husband are having problems relating to one another. Here is a discussion from a session between Gloria and her counselor: Gloria: "My husband promised to take care of the kids on Saturday and he didn't. Instead he worked the entire day. I think people should either keep the promises they make or just not make them in the first place. Wouldn't you agree?" Counselor: "Did you ever break a promise?" Gloria: "Well, yes. My kids had asked me to take them shopping for toys. I promised them that I would take them this evening. But, as you can see, I' m sitting here with you instead. It was really important for me to see you, though. I just did what I thought was right, you know?" Answer: Inconsistency Because Glorias husband worked instead of taking care of their kids, Gloria wants to put ALL of the blame on him. She is also not being true to her promise because she bailed on her kids instead of going shopping with them. She’s inconsistent. Maybe her husband thought “it was right” to go to work.
*3. Elfidge and Abigail have lived together for the past three months in order to see if they are both ready to make a commitment to marriage. In that time, the two have experienced difficulties in getting along with one another. Abigail has accused Elfidge of not being a very good conversationalist. On the other hand, Elfidge has maintained that Abegail complains too much about little things in her life. Elfidge has also told Abigail that if he is to be happy living with her, then she has to stop her frequent complaining and that he will try to be a better conversationalist. In the past two weeks Abigail has, indeed, stopped her complaining. However, she also has stopped speaking openly to him. Now, when Elfidge addresses her, she either nods or gives him single word answers. Elfidge has just complained to her about her new behavior. Here is Abigail's response: Abigail: "You told me that if you are to be happy living with me, then I have to stop complaining so much. Well I haven't complained one bit in the past two weeks and now you're still not happy. I guess you don't know yourself how you want me to act toward you." Answer: If… Then Fallacy Elfidge should be more specific about what Abigail complains about. 4. Samantha has recently found her husband in bed with her best friend. Here is a discussion between Samantha and her counselor: Counselor: "How do you feel about your husband having had an affair with your best friend?" Samantha: "I really don't care one way or the other anymore. At first, I admit I felt like killing them both but now it just doesn't matter to me. I feel nothing at all now. Anyway, maybe he'll catch some disease from that two-timing whore. I would have the last laugh then." Answer: Inconsistency Although Samantha says she doesn’t care about her husband’s affair, she still cares enough to have the “last laugh”. Samantha needs to work through and express her feelings to get closure for her situation. 5. Here is what one young woman anxiously awaiting a blind date says to her girlfriend:
Jenny: "My date for tonight is on the high school football team. That team has lost every game this season; so, he must be a loser too." Answer: Fallacy of the Part There are many reasons why the football team could be losing. Possibly the boys need a new coach… This young woman should consider that maybe her date just had a bad night playing football. He could be great at other sports, and he could be a good student and an overall good person. Instead, she is judging him based on the football teams losses. This does not make him a loser. 6. During a class lecture, a student raises her hand and asks the teacher if she can go to the bathroom: Student: "Mr. Mann, can I go to the bathroom now?" Mr. Mann: "No." Student: "But I really need to go badly. Why can't I?" Mr. Mann: "Because I said no. Now sit down." Answer: Arguing in a Circle I believe this is arguing in a circle because although Mr. Mann could have let this student use the restroom, maybe this student is known for taking too long, wondering the halls and lollygagging around. I’m sure this would have been avoided if this student left and came back at a respectable time. 7. "My wife is not going to push me around like that. If anyone is going to do the pushing, it will be me, not her." Answer: False Either Or This situation could have been avoided if this man were to have a conversation with his wife about her “pushing him around.” Now, he is going to “get back at her” and it will be a never-ending cycle of them both nagging and telling each other what to do. They could simply handle the situation in a nicer way than payback. *8 . Freda has been married to Bob for 19 years. She is now 40 years old and she has become extremely self-conscious about her age and about getting
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older. Recently, Bob's boss met Freda for the first time at a company party, commented on how attractive she was, and asked Bob her age. Bob, in turn, told his boss that Freda was 40. Here is a discussion that takes place between Bob and Freda after their return home from the party: Freda: "You really shouldn't have told your boss how old I was when he asked you." Bob: "Why not? What should I have done?" Freda: "You should have lied to him or something." Bob: "But why should I have lied to him?" Freda: "Because my age is my business and nobody else's. It's just not right to go telling other people my business." Bob: "But why is it just your business? Why can't anyone else know how old you are? Are you ashamed of your age?" Freda: "Of course not!" Bob: "Then why can't anyone else know your age?" Freda: "I told you already, didn't I?" You just shouldn't have told him. That's all. Now leave me alone!" Answer: Arguing in a Circle Bob should respect his wife’s wishes by not sharing her age to people. Especially because this is something that is making her self-conscious. This could have been avoided by Bob listening to his wife and her feelings. 9. Hal has recently lost his job. Here is what he tells his counselor: Hal: "Either a man is successful or he's a failure. I can't call myself successful anymore. So you know just where I stand." Answer: False Either Or Hal is calling himself a failure because he believes either you are successful, which he is not because he lost his job, or his is a failure. Which he believes is true because he failed at keeping his job. Hal should look at the positive aspect of losing his job. Maybe he will receive a better opportunity when he applies for another job. Possibly he might have more time with his family or friends now or even find a new hobby he will be successful at. Just because you lose a job, does not me that you have failed. He could have learned a lesson instead.
10 . "It's hard to tell the difference between deliberately doing unhealthy things and attempted suicide. So, as far as I'm concerned, people who smoke cigarettes or live on junk food are just trying to commit suicide." Answer: Fallacy of the Whole This person is saying that everyone who eats junk food or smokes cigarettes are trying to commit suicide. That is not the case. Suicide is intentional. Cigarettes and junk food are addicting. Although we know they are bad for you, you don’t intentionally smoke or eat junk food to kill yourself. It is very hard to quit smoking and most of the people who smoke, want to stop. And junk food is a lot cheaper than eating healthy and maybe this is all someone can afford. 11. Pete's friend, Jim, has recently complained to Pete that he is "short on cash" and that he does not have enough money "to make ends meet." Pete, however, does not believe Jim. Here is what Pete tells his girlfriend: Pete: "If a single guy is to live comfortably in this day and age then he needs to make at least thirty grand a year. Jim is single with no family to support or alimony payments to make, and he makes that kind of money easy; so he must live comfortably. He's got what to complain about!" Answer: If Then Fallacy Pete is using the If…Then Fallacy. If he’s a single guy, then he should have money. This could have been avoided by Pete not jumping to conclusion about Jim’s financial situation. Just because he is single, doesn’t mean he has a lot of money. Jim could be in credit card debt, car payments, and or he could have lost his job. Pete does not know Jim’s situation as a whole. 12. Rodney has been indicted for selling drugs. He has asked his girlfriend, Becky, to take the stand and to lie to the court under oath for him. Becky, however, has refused to do this for Rodney. Here is what Rodney tells Becky after she refuses his request: Rodney: "Either you're willing to do anything you can for me, or you really don't care about me. So, why don't you just go away and leave me alone. Go on, get out of my life for good!" Answer: False Either Or
Rodney is clearly not a good boyfriend. A good boyfriend would not allow their partner to lie under oath for them. Becky could go to jail for doing just that. Rodney is being selfish and is using the false either or fallacy. *13. Here is a discussion between two close friends, John and George: John: "I believe that a man has got to live by the Bible." George: "You mean a man shouldn't do anything that the Bible forbids?" John: "That's right. Like those homosexuals. They're all sinners against the Lord." George: "What about adultery, John? Didn't you cheat on Claire a couple of times? I remember two times, once with Alma and once with Hannah, and Claire never even found out. Isn't that right, John? Doesn't that make you a sinner too?" John: Hell no! That's a different story. Sometimes a man has got to get it out of his system. Claire and I have a fine marriage now and I owe it all to those little flings with Hannah and Alma." Answer: Inconsistency John is inconsistent with what he believes in. If he really believed that you should live by the bible, he would not have cheated on his wife. Even if he has an open marriage, the bible says you should not commit adultery. He has no room to talk about homosexuals when he too has been sinning. 14. "If he's so smart, how come he didn't know the answer to that question?" Answer: Then Not from If Not This person sounds like he is being sarcastic. If everyone thinks the kid is smart, you expect him to know every answer. Because he doesn’t know the answer, now the person thinks the kid is not smart at all. 15. Hubert was a student in Mr. Carlswood's biology class. His final test average was fifty five. He makes this comment to another student:
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Hubert: "That Carlswood told the class that in order to pass the course we had to have good attendance. Well, I came to almost every class and he still flunked me. I don't think a teacher should mislead his students like that, do you?" Answer: Fallacy of the Whole or Gray Area Fallacy I think this scenario could have two answers. Hubert says that if he come to class, his teacher would give him a good grade. He shares “I came to ALMOST every class…” which is part of the reason why his teacher flunked him. So… Fallacy of the Whole. I also think this could be Gray Area Fallacy because there could also be a factor that maybe his grades in the class weren’t good. 16. Father helping his son with his school science project: "If you're not going to do it my way, then don't even bother doing it at all." Answer: If Then Fallacy This father is using the If Then Fallacy. I think the father should let his son work on his own project so he can feel proud of himself for completing his science project. Even if the dad knows more than his son, it is still not fair for the dad to have it done only his way. 17. "My car keeps stalling out; and that's just what would happen if the fuel pump was bad. So, it must be a bad fuel pump." Answer: Fallacy of the Whole This person is using fallacy of the whole by assuming just because if a fuel pump is bad, your car will stall and that means It is the fuel pump. When there could be other reasons why her car is stalling out. *18. Dave is looking for a family physician. Here is a discussion he has with his friend, Sid: Dave: "What do you know about Dr. Loomis?" Sid: "I don't know much about him. I do know that he is on staff at Morris Memorial."
Dave: "Really? That hospital stinks. Loomis must also stink if he's a member of that hospital. Forget him. Know anyone else who's good?" Answer: Fallacy of the Whole Dave believes that because the whole hospital stinks, so does the physician. Maybe Dave had a bad experience before at that hospital. That does not give a good reason for Dr. Loomis to be a bad doctor. Dr. Loomis could be an amazing physician, but Dave wouldn’t know because he is judging his credentials on this hospital. This could be avoided by Dave not judging him because of his work place. 19. Pat and Pauline have been married for 17 years. They are both employed and have two children, ages 11 and 6. Ever since the birth of their second child, the lives of the two have revolved, for the most part, around work and what they take to be the needs of the children. Both Pat and Pauline admit that they are unhappy and that there is "something missing" from their marriage. The two have been seeing a marriage and family therapist who has recommended that the two get out more together without the kids. In one session, here is what Pat tells the therapist: Pat: "You said that if our marriage is going to improve then we need to spend more time together, alone, away from the kids. Well, in the past two months we've done what you said and still our marriage has not really gotten any better. When we're out together it seems alright but when we get home the honeymoon's over. So that's not our problem. You were just wrong. Spending more time together without the kids doesn't mean our marriage will improve." Answer: Arguing in a Circle Pat is trying to defend the fact that her marriage is still not working out. Even with the advice she got from her therapist. I think Pat and Pauline both should continue to see the therapist and see the bigger picture of their marriage. Not just go out. They need to solve the issues that they are having by communication. 20. Here is what one student says to his teacher, Mr. Seymour, who is chewing gum above a sign that reads "No Eating, Drinking or Gum Chewing in This Class."
Student: "Mr. Seymour, how come you chew gum and we can't?" Mr. Seymour: "I'm the teacher. That's why!" Answer: Inconsistency Mr. Seymour is abusing his power as a teacher by not being consistent with what the sign says. He could instead be a good role model and not chew gum knowing it is not allowed. If the students see that, like this student did, the students could disregard the sign and chew gum as well because the teacher isn’t following the rules either. 21. Missy and Rupert are currently living together out of wedlock. Rupert wants to get married and has recently proposed to Missy. However, Missy is contented with the present living arrangement and is not convinced that marriage is such a good idea. Here is a discussion between Missy and her friend Sandra: Missy: "Rupert told me that if I marry him he will love and cherish me until death do us part." Sandra: "Oh how romantic." Missy : "Really? I don't think so. Suppose we never do get married and instead just live together. Then that must mean he won't love and cherish me until death do us part. What kind of love is that anyway! He makes love sound like a legal contract!" Answer: If This Then That Missy and Rupert are using the If Then Fallacy. Although I think there is more to the situation than is mentioned. Maybe their relationship hasn’t been going well but it is easier to live with each other… possibly because she is comfortable with him and its easier on rent. I’m not fully convinced that she truly loves him the way he loves her. Or their relationship has been rocky and he is manipulating her by saying if they get married, he will for sure love and cherish her. 22. Sam is a chain smoker. Here is a discussion between him and his counselor: Sam: "I need a cigarette to relax me when I get uptight."
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Counselor: "Why do you think you need a cigarette to relax you in those situations where you feel uptight?" Sam: "I have to have one in order to relax. I can't relax unless I have one." Counselor: "Why do you think you can't relax without one?" Sam: As I said before, I need one or else I can't relax!" Answer: Arguing in a Circle Sam believes that smoking will help her relax. It sounds like she does not want any advice to why she needs a cigarette. Because to her, that is the only solution to help her relax. This could have been avoided if Sam told her counselor what makes her stressed out and her counselor could have given her other remedies to help her not depend on cigarettes to relax. Like picking up a hobby of crocheting, coloring, cooking or playing music to help her relax. *23. Joe has developed a drinking problem. His wife, Anne, suggests to him that he might be an alcoholic. Joe, however, insists that he is only a "social drinker." Here is one of their conversations: Joe: "Can you tell where social drinking leaves off and alcoholism begins? How much do you have to drink before you're no longer a social drinker? Can you even tell me that?" Anne: "I admit that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between them." Joe: "Then how can you say that I'm an alcoholic. You might as well say that I'm just a social drinker. That's what I really am, so why don't you just admit it." Answer: Fallacy of the Part or Then Not from If Not I think either fallacy is correct depending on what perspective were looking at. In Annes case, it could be Fallacy of the Part because she doesn’t know the difference between social drinking and alcoholism. Joe could be drinking a lot during sports on tv, hanging out with friends, or going out. Where it may seem like he is drinking a lot. In Joes case, He seems defensive, and thinks being called an alcoholic is false. So, if it is false, it must be false.
24. This morning Maria's son, Teddy, complains of a headache and dizziness and asks if he can stay home from school. Here is what Teddy's mother says to him: Maria: "If you had a fever then you would be sick. But I took your temperature twice and you don't have fever. You're 98.6 right on the dot. So, you're not really sick. Get your tail out of bed and get ready for school you little con artist." Answer: If Then Fallacy Maria is saying if he had a fever, then he would be sick. Maybe she should consider her son isn’t physically sick, he may just be having a hard time at school and needs a mental break. 25. Here is what one teacher tells a student who asks for a unit review: Teacher: "You should know this material. Either you know it by now or you never will!" Answer: Either or Fallacy This teacher could have avoided saying this to the student by asking how much did the student study? Or maybe this student learns slower than other kids in the class. This does not mean that he will never learn the material. 26. "The world is a bad place because bad things happen in it." Answer: Fallacy of the Whole Assuming that the whole world is bad because bad things happen. This is not true. There are many good things in this world like nice people, beautiful sceneries like oceans and mountains and countries. Not EVERYTHING in this world is bad. 27. Parent: "I told you to get to bed right now." Child: "But why do I have to go to bed right now? Can't I stay up a little while longer?" Parent: "No." Child: "But why can't I?" Parent: "Because I told you to get to bed right now, that's why." Answer: Arguing in a Circle
This situation could have been avoided by the parent discipling their child about talking back. Or the parent could have made bed time more fun like reading a story to the child. 28. Jane and Howard are boyfriend and girlfriend. Here is what the say to each other after having had a quarrel: Jane: "If you apologize to me then I'll apologize to you." Howard: "Alright, go ahead and apologize to me and then I'll apologize to you." Answer: Vice Versa Fallacy Jane and Howard could have avoided this by not being petty and being the bigger person. Because if you do it first, I will then do it. 28. "There's no way to tell exactly how overweight a person has to be in order to be called `morbidly obese', so how can you stand there and tell me that that's what I am." Answer: Fallacy of the Whole The person accusing the other of being obese is using fallacy of the whole. Because overweight people can be obese, does not mean that this person is. Possibly this person could be the right weight for their height. 30. Here is what one 9 year old boy tells his friend: "My mom said she would buy me a Sega CD if my dad said it was OK. But I know he's gonna say no; he's always sayin how video games are for airheads; so I'm sure my mom won't buy one for me either." Answer: Fallacy of the Part This little boy assumes that because his dad will say no, his mom will to. Maybe his mom and dad will come to an agreement and allow him to play the game twice a week.
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