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What kind of fallacy is it when someone states that because person A has not done everything in his or her power for social cause X, then social cause X is not a worthy cause?###posting as anonymous###
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| asked on Monday, May 01, 2017 04:11:47 PM by Bo Bennett, PhD | |
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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.
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The main error here is the ad hominem tu quoque . The behavior of the person supporting the social cause is not an determinate of the cause's social worth. If a person was protesting a meat factory, and they were NOT a vegetarian, then they might be a hypocrite, but that does not mean that reducing animal slaughter is not a worthwhile cause.
In this example, an analogy might be the best way to demonstrate the error in the reasoning: So if we don't sell all of possessions and give the money to the starving children, does that mean that helping starving children is not a worthy cause? If we change the issue, it might be more clear to the arguer since they most likely are emotionally invested in the issue about which they made the fallacy. |
| answered on Monday, May 01, 2017 04:11:47 PM by Bo Bennett, PhD |
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