1. The head mechanic for Alaskan Airlines states that the stabilizer on the plane that crashed January 31, 2000 had been checked in January, 1999 and no problems that could lead to a crash were found.
2. Researchers found that 98% of movies and 27% of songs depicted alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drug use.
3. An investor tells a money manager that index funds are a better investment than hiring a money manager to invest money because the investor "trusts the market." The money manager replies, "If you trust the market, then why don't you trust the market to deliver the best money managers?"
4. The San Francisco Chronicle, 2-2-2000, reports that scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory have traced the origin of the AIDS virus to a human-chimpanzee eye virus transmission in 1930. Another theory that the epidemic began due to an experiment conducted in Africa in 1957 would have "required the introduction of at least 10 genetically separate strains of the virus into the vaccine from 10 different chimps" (A19).
5. Governor Ryan of Illinois declared a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty because of the 25 people on Death Row, 12 were executed while 13 were found to be innocent after all.
6. The United States criticizes the People's Republic of China for destroying the Tibetan culture. The People's Republic replies that the United States overran the native population of Alaska with immigrants of U.S. citizens from other states so that now the original natives are vastly outnumbered.
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3. Do you need to be familiar with investments to notice that the investor seems not to be applying his or her principles consistently? That is called Special Pleading. However, investments are extremely complicated decisions, so the money manager may be reducing the investor's position too simply and using an Either/or fallacy.
4. Here we have an argument by Inference to the Best Conclusion. The simplest explanation of the origin of the AIDS virus consistent with the relevant data supports the 1930 eye virus origin. Of course, new data or new analysis may change the probable conclusion.
5. Governor Ryan is using inductive reasoning (Argument by Generalization) to conclude that since more than half of the people the state was planning to execute were found to be innocent, there is a strong likelihood that the next executed person would be innocent. This situation would be true of other states if the Death Row occupants in Illinois are sufficiently similar to the Death Row occupants in other states (Argument by Analogy). Governor Ryan is also using deductive reasoning because, if we think about it, his Major Premise must be "All executions of potentially innocent people must be avoided." Now think about Janet Richards' position about assisted suicide. She argues that it would be better to help someone die who might not want to after all than to keep someone alive and suffering who wants to die but cannot express that wish or carry it out. What is Janet Richards' major premise in that case?
6. The People's Republic of China is accusing the United States of Special Pleading, that is, of not applying our principles consistently. However, they are cardstacking when they omit the evidence that they have demolished almost all of the Tibetan temples.