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APPEAL TO FEAR FALLACY? NO FALLACY?

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Original Question

Trump, who recently recovered from a COIVD-19 diagnosis and related hospital stay, implied the virus wasn’t something for major concern. “We’re rounding the turn, we’re rounding the corner, it’s going away.” Trump said. Biden disagreed vehemently. “220,00 Americans dead ,” Biden said. “ Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain as President of the United States of America. ” “ The expectation is we’ll have another two hundred thousand Americans dead by the end of the year, ” Biden went on.

Answers

3

Whether we are "turning the corner" is the crux of the statement. It is not clearly true or untrue. Biden provided zero evidence as to why it was not true. Biden provided only speculation when he said "The expectation is..." Perhaps Biden's expectation is what he says, but his expectation is not evidence.

Of course, it's appeal to fear appeal to fear  


Neither candidate is qualified as an expert and there are no "seers" or "wise men" or "prophets" in the biblical sense. and imo, there never were.


The claim is possible, but even if correct, it is merely, on this forum, a logical analysis based on either candidate's personal (anecdotal) evidence.


Neither Trump's reassurance from his merely survival evidence, nor Biden's darker pov. based on some statistics, is dispositive, imo. 


The fear is visceral, and I feel it too (at 75), but the fallacy of the argument remains.  I plan to eat thanksgiving dinner with my remote family., and am not persuaded by appeal to fear  or to appeal to authority  or by other pragmatic fallacy  or by the precautionary principle

There is no argument here. Trump said something that was clearly not true. Biden provided evidence to why it was untrue.


Biden's “Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain as President of the United States of America” comment is separate from refuting Trump's claim. It is an opinion. It can also be argued that Biden was begging the question by suggesting that Trump is responsible.

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