MORE INFORMAL FALLACY EXAMPLES

ANSWER KEY

1. Goldilocks fallacy. You can't take a subject you know nothing about and suggest that the solution is necessarily going to be some happy medium between two polar opposites. The best policy might be more intervention than Bush or less than Obama. Moreover, the kind of intervention is relevant as well.

2. Ad hominem circumstantial by Richard, suggesting a selfish motive or hidden agenda on Ronette's part while ignoring her evidence and arguments.

3. Goldlocks fallacy. You can't discover the right punishment for blasphemy by looking at the two extremes and trying to split the difference. The right punishment is the "extreme" of no punishment at all.

4. Fallacious appeal to authority by Bill, since he could easily read the transcript for himself, but would rather take someone else's word for what's in it. Sally also appropriately points out Bill's inconsistency in his respect for decorated military intelligence officers.

5. Jane is guilty of begging the question, assuming murderers are always mentally ill and then using this to prove murder is a mental health issue.

6. Roberta is committing the appeal to ignorance fallacy, assuming, without evidence, that Trump is guilty of something and trying to make it Fred's job to prove he's innocent.

7. Argument by analogy. Trump is comparing his lack of due process, fairness and any legal rights to the hanging of an innocent man by a lawless mob.

8. Guilt by association by Beth and Margie, tu quoque by Margie.

9. Effective argument by analogy by Nathan, comparing David's stealing a poor man's wife to a rich man stealing his neighbor's pet lamb and serving it up to dinner guests.

10. Reductio ad absurdum, suggesting that after its offensively deferential and laudatory obituary headline for the head of ISIS, the Washington Post might print a similarly rosy send-off for the the sinister Emperor and Sith Lord from Star Wars.

11. Ad hominem abusive on Sally's part. Even if Trump is a racist, a sexist and a fascist, it has no bearing on his assessment of President Bush's invasion of Iraq.

12. Argument by analogy, comparing the lawless behavior of the Republicans to a violent, left-wing group.

13. Tu quoque on Dwight's part. Even if Hillary did lose over a billion dollars in a failed run for President, that would have no bearing on whether Trump lost billions in his business dealings. Dwight is attempting to evade answering a criticism against Trump by shifting the focus to Hillary's shortcomings.

14. Straw man. If you went to GOP.com, would you really see, "Our Five Point Plan: 1. Dirtier air. 2. Dirtier water 3. Less people with health insurance..."? Obama is making the Republican "plan" look foolish in order to make his plan look better by comparison.

15. Bill is guilty of the genetic fallacy. Just because Planned Parenthood was founded by a racist doesn't mean it or abortion is racist now. Ad hominem on Sally's part, suggesting that Bill's argument is not legitimate because it's not coming from a woman.

16. Begging the question by Lee. He's quoting the Bible to prove the Bible is the Word of God, all the while assuming the verse he's quoting is inspired by God.

17. Begging the question. "Irritating to the public" and "rub a lot of Americans the wrong way," are just different ways of saying the same thing.

18. No True Scotsman. When his generalization that democracies don't start wars is challenged, the professor arbitrarily narrows his definition of democracy to exclude Athens, claiming it's not a "true" democracy.

19. Guilt by association by the Pharisees. Argument by analogy by Jesus, comparing sin to illness and himself to a doctor.

20. Ad hominem abusive by Julian. Katie Hill's sex with staffers or involvement in a "throuple" have nothing to do with the argument she made about affordable health care.

21. Appeal to ignorance. It's up to the arguer to prove God exists, not up to the "atheistic philosophers" to prove that he doesn't.

22. Bandwagon fallacy. Maybe the U.S. has the best system and the other governments are doing it wrong. You'd have to look at the results, not just trends.

23. Goldilocks fallacy. There's no "middle ground" on racist laws.