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

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."

Uncomfortable Ideas: Facts don't care about feelings. Science isn't concerned about sensibilities. And reality couldn't care less about rage.

This is a book about uncomfortable ideas—the reasons we avoid them, the reasons we shouldn’t, and discussion of dozens of examples that might infuriate you, offend you, or at least make you uncomfortable.

Many of our ideas about the world are based more on feelings than facts, sensibilities than science, and rage than reality. We gravitate toward ideas that make us feel comfortable in areas such as religion, politics, philosophy, social justice, love and sex, humanity, and morality. We avoid ideas that make us feel uncomfortable. This avoidance is a largely unconscious process that affects our judgment and gets in the way of our ability to reach rational and reasonable conclusions. By understanding how our mind works in this area, we can start embracing uncomfortable ideas and be better informed, be more understanding of others, and make better decisions in all areas of life.

Get 20% off this book and all Bo's books*. Use the promotion code: websiteusers

* This is for the author's bookstore only. Applies to autographed hardcover, audiobook, and ebook.

Get the Book

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