Question

Assume that the premise(s) of the following argument are true. Apply the other three tests of the worthiness of an argument in their proper order: "Anthony was at risk of dying from the severe fall that he took when he was climbing. Many who had the same near-fatal experience become averse to climbing afterward. So, Anthony will surely become averse to climbing after his fall." That argument is an example of ________.

Answer 1

Answer:

That argument is an example of a falacy masquerading as a valid inference.

Explanation:

Fallacy means error, deception or falsehood. Usually a fallacy is a misconception that is conveyed as true, misleading others. On the other hand, when an argument conveying a true idea is used to derive a false conclusion from false assumptions, the inference is valid.

Based on this, we can conclude that the argument quoted in the above question is a fallacy disguised as valid inference, because the speaker of the argument provides the information as a true statement, but it is wrong to draw conclusions about how Anthony will react after his accident, based on how other people reacted.