Question

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David Blomstrom

George Washington vs Robert E. Lee

Hi. I'm working on a book about mind control and am intrigued by logical fallacies. I just purchased your book Logically Fallacious through iBooks. I haven't been able to check it out yet, because it isn't showing up in my iBooks reader. If I can't figure it out, I'll buy it again through Amazon.

Anyway, here's my question:

I'm no fan of Donald Trump, but I was elated when he compared George Washington to Robert E. Lee. Both were military commanders from Virginia - and both owned slaves. How would the corporate media respond?

"It's a ridiculous conflation," said Professor Alice Fahs of the University of California, Irvine. "He's not a founding father, and it's as though Trump thinks he is. It's really astonishing. It's amazing.



Scholars say Trump went afoul in lumping Lee with founders<>.

Am I correct in calling this a logical fallacy? If so, which fallacy is it?

Thank you.
asked on Thursday, Aug 17, 2017 08:15:57 PM by David Blomstrom

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Answers

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skips777
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If Trump never said they were both founding fathers and then the media saying that was the issue Trump was implying...I think that is a straw man.
If you're wondering whether trump comparing the two is fallacious, I don't see a fallacy if the only two parallels are the ones you mention. Assuming those two things are actually true, no fallacy.
If you're saying Trump is implying a 'slippery slope' because Lee had similar things in common with Washington. Therefore tearing down one guys statue means that the "mob" will eventually get to Washington...thats a slippery slope fallacy i believe.
answered on Thursday, Aug 17, 2017 11:36:02 PM by skips777

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Bo Bennett, PhD
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I am assuming here that Trump never said anything about Lee being a founding father. In this case, it is a classic strawman because Professor Alice Fahs is responding to an argument Trump never made.
answered on Friday, Aug 18, 2017 05:57:29 AM by Bo Bennett, PhD

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mike
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Special pleading? He's essentially saying Washington gets a pass from owning slaves since he's a founding father and Lee isn't.

answered on Friday, Aug 18, 2017 08:10:00 AM by mike

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mike
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Alice Fahs is accusing Trump of false analogy, Fahs commits fallacy of special pleading in his response.

answered on Friday, Aug 18, 2017 10:42:28 AM by mike

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