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Claudio

Is it a fallacy?

I browsed the catalogue and could identify some similarities with some logical fallacies, but I wonder if there is a stronger definition:

Example:

Person A: I can touch liquid lava fresh off the volcano without wearing any protective equipment.

Person B: Are you saying that fresh lava off the volcano is not hot?

Person A: Makes a funny comment comparing the question with Cathy Newman's "are you saying?"

Although Person A is not explicitly saying that liquid lava fresh off the volcano is not hot, the fact that he/she can touch it without wearing any protective equipment, considering that no super powers are involved, implies that fresh lava off the volcano is not hot.

asked on Thursday, Apr 29, 2021 08:19:35 PM by Claudio

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Bo Bennett, PhD writes:

I am sorry,  I don't get any of this. Person A appears to be setting person B up for a brain-teaser. I have no idea with Cathy Newman is.

the fact that he/she can touch it without wearing any protective equipment, considering that no super powers are involved, implies that fresh lava off the volcano is not hot.

I wouldn't say it does imply this. Again, to me, it appears to be a cleaver brain-teaser or just some trick, like person A can "touch" with a stick or something. I see no fallacies here.

posted on Friday, Apr 30, 2021 07:34:06 AM

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DAVIDMITZVA
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The statement does not violate any logical sequence. The lava is assumed to have cooled enough for one to touch it. Therefore there is no fallacy.

answered on Thursday, May 06, 2021 05:28:18 PM by DAVIDMITZVA

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Kuda
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I take it that A's response to B about the Newman comparison is the same as telling him that B committed a straw man fallacy because A never said such a thing (that A is mentally unsound or that he simply wants to show B a point are also possibilities). The point here is whether B is committing such a fallacy and I would say no because A never said an argument, to begin with. If B is guilty of anything it is simply not asking the right question (like "What do you mean by that?").

answered on Friday, May 07, 2021 12:29:49 PM by Kuda

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