Explain in a sentence or two how each of the following passages involves a fallacy. Many of these examples are difficult and sho
uld serve to illustrate how fallacies sometimes conform only loosely to the standard patterns. Two favorite scientists of the Council for Tobacco Research were Carl Seltzer and Theodore Sterling. Seltzer, a biological anthropologist, believes smoking has no role in heart disease and has alleged in print that data in the huge 45-year, 10,000-person Framingham Heart Study—which found otherwise—have been distorted by anti-tobacco researchers. Framingham Director William Castelli scoffs at Seltzer’s critique but says it “has had some impact in keeping the debate alive.”
Sterling, a statistician, disputes the validity of population studies linking smoking to illness, arguing that their narrow focus on smoking obscures the more likely cause—occupational exposure to toxic fumes. For both men, defying conventional wisdom has been rewarding. Seltzer says he has received “well over $1 million” from the Council for research. Sterling got $1.1 million for his Special Projects work in 1977–82, court records show.—From “How Tobacco Firms Keep Health Questions ‘Open’ Year After Year,” Alix Freedman and Laurie Cohen. The article originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal and was reprinted in the Sacramento Bee.
