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Exercise 10: |
| Identify the fallacy that occurs in each passage. These will be retroductive fallacies: Arcane Explanation, Non Causa, Post Hoc, Hypothesis Contrary to Fact, Gambler's Fallacy, Over-reporting the Facts, Appeal to Mystery, Vacuous Explanation, and Canceling Hypotheses. (No exercises for Under-reporting the Facts.) |
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| 1. Shortly after I washed my car it decided to rain. I should save a fortune in water bills! Next time I need to water the garden, I'll just give my car another washing. | ||
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| 2. It's a good thing Clinton was elected president. If he hadn't been, we would still be in the middle of a recession. | ||
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| 3. Perhaps scientists are driven to investigate the nature of the universe by their innate curiosity. | ||
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| 4. Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. This was no accident. | ||
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| 5. Frederick was born in leap year, on the 29th of February, owing to the agency of an ill-natured fairy. | ||
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| 6. It is well known that lead poisoning causes depression. That might explain why so many people today are always so depressed. Perhaps everyone is suffering from low grade lead poisoning due to the lead in gasoline. | ||
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| 7. You are suffering from psychotic episodes because of the sexual abuse you were subjected to as a child. You don't remember being sexually abused because you are repressing your memories of the experience. | ||
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| 8. Scots actually eat haggis? Well, I guess there's no accounting for tastes. | ||
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| 9. Three ladies in this office have gotten pregnant in the past month. Perhaps there is something in the water. | ||
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| 10. The reason Jeffrey Daumer killed all those people is because he is crazy. | ||
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Go to: WELCOME EXPLANATION of PRINCIPLES TABLE of FALLACIES EXERCISES INDEX