BEGGING

THE QUESTION
COMPLEX
QUESTION
FALSE DICHOTOMY
Mark
Cher Hern
Suu
Meixin
INTRODUCTION TO FALLACIES
Error in reasoning
“Argument" in which the premises given
for the conclusion do not provide the
needed degree of support
 Note:
If you don’t have an argument,
you can’t have a fallacy
 FOLLY-CIES
OF GEORGE BUSH
 SCENE ONE…
Congress session deciding on whether or
not US should invade Iraq
B: I personally believe that there are WMDs in
Iraq, so we should invade them.
C: We can’t take it based on your word and
personal belief alone, we’re going to need solid
FALLACY!!
evidence. BEGGING
Can you provide any furtherTHE
support
for your belief? QUESTION
B: Sure! The CIA thinks so too!
C: Can anyone vouch for the validity of the CIA’s
intelligence? Characters:
B: Of course, I can! •B for Bush
•C for Congress
•Mystery figure
BEGGING THE QUESTION
Premises include
claims/assumptions that the
conclusion is true
B: I personally believe that there are WMDs in
Iraq, so we should invade them.
C: We can’t take it based on your word and
personal belief alone, we’re going to need solid
evidence. Can you provide any further support
for your belief?
B: Sure! The CIA thinks so too!
C: Can anyone vouch for the validity of the CIA’s
intelligence? Characters:
B: Of course, I can! •B for Bush
•C for Congress
•Mystery figure
 BEGGING THE QUESTION
Also known as
Circular Reasoning
Reasoning in a Circle
Vicious cycle
Petitio Principii
 EXAMPLES OF
BEGGING THE QUESTION

God exists, because the Bible said so, and

the Bible is right because God wrote it.
 BEGGING THE QUESTION

Differentiate from raising the question

GSRs are always fully booked, this begs the

question whether we should build more

Should be: Raises the question.

Reason: There’s no circular reasoning

 SCENE TWO…
At the White House after earlier
Congress session
 Characters:
•B for Bush
•L for Laura Bush
L: Honey, you must be tired today
B: Why do you say so?
L: Because you looked tired
B: Ahah! That’s questioning
the beggar!!
 Characters:
•B for Bush
•L for Laura Bush
L: Honey, you must be tired today
B: Why do you say so?
L: Because you looked tired
B: Ahah! That’s questioning
the beggar!!
 SCENE THREE…
Congress session to make final decision
on whether to invade Iraq or not
 FALLACY!!
B: I tell you one thing, you’re either with me,
FALSE
or against me. DICHOTOMY!!

Characters:
•B for Bush
•C for Congress
•Mystery figure
 FALSE DICHOTOMY

Only two alternatives are

considered, when in fact there
are other options
B: I tell you one thing, you’re either with me,
or against me.

Characters:
•B for Bush
•C for Congress
•Mystery figure
 FALSE DICHOTOMY
Also known as
False Dilemma
Either-or Fallacy
Black or White Thinking
Bifurcation
 EXAMPLES OF
FALSE DICHOTOMY

You are either a Red Devil or a scouser.

Since you are not a scouser, you must be
a Red Devil.

Reason: You could be an Arsenal fan,

which would make you a Gunner!
 SCENE FOUR…
Congress session deciding on Gay rights
B: I tell you one thing, you’re either purely
a male, or a female, there ain’t no right
being gay.
C: How about hermaphrodites?
FALSE DICHOTOMY
B: Hermaphrodites?

Characters:
•B for Bush
•C for Congress
•Mystery figure
SCENE FIVE…
Tired Bush Back at Home
L: Oh, do you want to talk about it, or not?
B: Ahah! That’s a false dichotomy.

Characters:
•B for Bush
•L for Laura Bush
•Mystery Figure
L: Oh, do you want to talk about it, or not?
B: Ahah! That’s a false dichotomy.

Characters:
•B for Bush
•L for Laura Bush
•Mystery Figure
 SCENE SIX…
At a rally support for John McCain
 FALLACY!!
B: C’mon! how can you support Obama and
COMPLEX
putting a terrorist in QUESTION!!
the white house?

Characters:
•B for Bush
•Mystery Figure
COMPLEX QUESTION
Two points that are conjoined and
treated as a single proposition
Although the reader is expected to
accept or reject both together, these
two points have independent truth
values
B: C’mon! how can you support Obama and
putting a terrorist in the white house?

Characters:
•B for Bush
•Mystery Figure
 COMPLEX QUESTION
Also known as
Many questions
Plurium interrogationum
 EXAMPLES OF
COMPLEX QUESTION

STORYTIME…

THE PAIL STORY

 SCENE SEVEN…
At a meeting with General Patraeus
 FALLACY!!
B: Say, when are you going to deliver the
turban-wearing infidel’s corpse to my
LOADED
doorstep?
QUESTION

Characters:
•B for Bush
•P for General Patraeus
•Mystery figure
B: Say, when are you going to deliver the
turban-wearing infidel’s corpse to my
doorstep?

Characters:
•B for Bush
•P for General Patraeus
•Mystery figure
SCENE EIGHT…
Back at Home
L: Have you stopped eating pretzels?
B: Ahah! That’s a loaded question!

Characters:
•B for Bush
•L for Laura Bush
•Mystery Figure
L: Have you stopped eating pretzels?
B: Ahah! That’s a loaded question!

Characters:
•B for Bush
•L for Laura Bush
•Mystery Figure
THE END
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
• http://onegoodmove.org/fallacy/cq.htm
• http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/g
eneral/bldef_complex.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dichoto
my