Chapter 7 examples:

Question 1

Hooray! The kings are winning again. That’s becaue they are gaining momentum

Answer 1

Untestable explanation

Question 2

The crime rate has gone up because of general moral decay

Answer 2

Untestable explanation

Question 3

Either we deny the Pentagon a 5 percent increase this year, or in twenty years it will get the entire budget

Answer 3

Slippery slope

Question 4

No, I don’t think we should tip servers 20 percent. The next thing you know we will be tipping them 25 percent, then 30 percent, then who knows what. We will be giving out our entire paycheck every time we eat out

Answer 4

Slippery slope

Question 5

We should not require gun owners to carry liability insurance, because if we do that, before long they will repeal the second amendment

Answer 5

Slippery Slope

Question 6

I’ve heard doctors say eating red meat daily increases your risk of heart disease, but i don’t believe it. My uncle was a rancher and he lived to be 100. His entire life he ate red meat three times a day. He didn’t die of a heart attack either, he died when he fell down a well

Answer 6

Argument by Anecdote.

Question 7

Successful businesspeople often drive expensive cars. Therefore, driving an expensive car will help make you a successfull businessperson.

Answer 7

Overloooking the possibility of reversed causation.

The expensive car might be the result of being successfull

Question 8

People who walk long distances enjoy good health. Therefore, walking long distances will make you healthy

Answer 8

Overlooking the possibility of reversed causation.

Maybe being healthy accounts for the walking

Question 9

Chimney fires and long underwear purchases increase in frequency at the very same time. Therfore chimney fires cause people to buy long underwear.

Answer 9

Overlooking a possible common cause (post hoc)
The speaker in this exmaple has ignored the possibility that the events in question are both the effects of a common cause, the weather turning colder.

Question 10

I got cancer when I lived under a high-voltage power line. Therfore the high voltage power line caused my cancer

Answer 10

overlooking the possibility of coincidence. (post hoc).

Question 11

Children with long hair are better spellers than chilren with short hair. Therfore having long hair makes a child spell better.

Answer 11

Cum Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc.

Correlation does not prove causation

Question 12

The girls shot well below their average on monday, so i made them do fifty sets of pushups. Guess what? Their average was much better on tuesday. Perhaps pushups did the trick.

Answer 12

Overlooking the possibility of gregression