College

Match the following fallacies to the argument that exhibits that fallacy.

**Prompts**

1. Everyone should believe God exists because, if you don't, when you die you will be judged and God will send you to Hell for all of eternity. You don't want to be tortured in Hell, do you? If not, it is a safer bet to believe in God than to not believe.

2. Senator Able: "The nation cannot afford to add to the defense budget."
Senator Baker: "I cannot believe that Senator Able wants to leave the nation defenseless."

3. Mother: "Why were you out past curfew again?"
Daughter: "The weather tonight was so cold. I should have brought a coat. Do you think it's going to snow tonight?"

**Answers**

- Appeal to Force
- Straw Man
- Red Herring

Answer :

Final answer:

The student's argument about God exemplifies the Appeal to Force fallacy, which uses intimidation instead of rational reasoning. Senator Baker's comments about Senator Able show an Ad Hominem attack rather than engaging with the argument. Recognizing these fallacies helps in critically assessing arguments effectively.


Explanation:

Identifying Logical Fallacies

In the argument presented about the existence of God, the student is exhibiting the Appeal to Force fallacy. This fallacy occurs when someone uses intimidation or threats to persuade another to accept a conclusion without rational argument. Specifically, here, the reasoning is that one should believe in God to avoid eternal punishment in Hell, which manipulates fear as a means of argumentation.

Matching Arguments to Fallacies

  1. Ad Hominem: This is illustrated in the statement made by Senator Baker, who attacks Senator Able's character by claiming he wants to leave the nation defenseless rather than addressing the merits of his argument about the defense budget.
  2. Straw Man: This is not explicitly listed in examples, but would occur if someone misrepresented an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack. However, in this case, there is no direct example given.
  3. Appeal to Force: As noted, the argument about God is a classic example of this fallacy, as it relies on the threat of eternal punishment to coerce belief.

Understanding these fallacies is key in critically evaluating arguments and making sound judgments based on reason rather than emotion or misleading claims.


Learn more about Logical Fallacies here:

https://brainly.com/question/29368484


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