Question

...
S T-W

Fallacy? 18 should be the drinking age because it's the age of adulthood in the U.S.

Something about this strikes me as fallacious... maybe it's a false cause and effect?

"The drinking age should be lowered to 18. 18 is the age of adulthood in the United States, and adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption."
asked on Saturday, Jan 19, 2019 04:48:57 PM by S T-W

Top Categories Suggested by Community

Comments

Want to get notified of all questions as they are asked? Update your mail preferences and turn on "Instant Notification."

Master the "Rules of Reason" for Making and Evaluating Claims

Claims are constantly being made, many of which are confusing, ambiguous, too general to be of value, exaggerated, unfalsifiable, and suggest a dichotomy when no such dichotomy exists. Good critical thinking requires a thorough understanding of the claim before attempting to determine its veracity. Good communication requires the ability to make clear, precise, explicit claims, or “strong” claims. The rules of reason in this book provide the framework for obtaining this understanding and ability.

This book / online course is about the the eleven rules of reason for making and evaluating claims. Each covered in detail in the book

Take the Online Course

Answers

...
Bo Bennett, PhD
1
I wouldn't say it is a fallacy; but it is not good reasoning either. "Adult" is simply a label we give to people of a arbitrary age. A rational thinker would consider the pros and cons of allowing 18-year-olds to drink legally, which includes looking at historical data, statistics, other countries and cultures, etc., then concluding that they should or should not be allowed to drink legally because of far better reasons than "we call them adults."

Conversely, one can counter "21 should be the legal age of adulthood because it's the age one is allowed to drink legally in the U.S." Now, this "neutralizes" both arguments and forces one to consider the more important factors mentioned above.
answered on Saturday, Jan 19, 2019 09:01:28 PM by Bo Bennett, PhD

Comments

...
mchasewalker
0
while it is definitely an argument, this is more of a valid opinion than an error in reasoning.
answered on Saturday, Jan 19, 2019 07:10:14 PM by mchasewalker

Comments

...
Abdulazeez
0
not a fallacy! just some argument that has to be weighed for its merits.
answered on Saturday, Jan 19, 2019 11:20:46 PM by Abdulazeez

Comments