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Detecting Fallacies Distraction |
To show that a proposition P is unacceptable, a sequence of increasingly unacceptable events is shown to follow from P. A slippery slope is an illegitimate use of the "if-then" operator. For example:
"If I make an exception for you then I have to make an exception for everyone."
"If we pass laws against fully-automatic weapons, then it won't be long before we pass laws on all weapons, and then we will begin to restrict other rights, and finally we will end up living in a communist state. Thus, we should not ban fully-automatic weapons."
Two otherwise unrelated points are conjoined and treated as a single proposition. The reader is expected to accept or reject both together, when in reality one is acceptable while the other is not. A complex question is an illegitimate use of the "and" operator. For example:
"Do you support Taekwondo and believe it is the best martial art?"
"Have you stopped using steroids?" (This asks two questions: did you use steroids and did you stop?)
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