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Published June 03, 2012, 12:00 AM

Local view: Take the civility quiz

Uncivil behavior invites people to favor emotional responses over rational judgments. That polarizes positions and limits access to the conversation. Such behavior tends to use the following common fallacies in reasoning and argument:

By: Elizabeth J. Nelson, for the News Tribune

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Uncivil behavior invites people to favor emotional responses over rational judgments. That polarizes positions and limits access to the conversation. Such behavior tends to use the following common fallacies in reasoning and argument:

  • “Loaded language”: Uses belittling terms for controversial ideas

  • “False cause”: Suggests that because one event follows another event or condition the second event was caused by the first event or condition

  • “Straw argument”: Highlights one feature of a position and suggests the single feature constitutes the entire position

  • “False dilemma”: Identifies two polarized courses of action, only one of which is acceptable, ignoring the possibility of middle ground

  • “Personal attack”: Attributes negative motives to an opponent or raises irrelevant personal information about an opponent

    From the list above, identify the fallacy associated with these comments:

    1. “Either we adopt the four-week waiting period for buying handguns right now or we accept our identity as victims of criminals who can buy a gun and use it to rob or murder someone within an hour’s time.”

    2. “This is voodoo economics.”

    3. “In your comments on the safety threats associated with nuclear power, what you’re really saying is that you don’t care whether we have enough energy to heat a curling iron much less keep our hospitals functioning and our streets lit. With your ideas, we’ll be safe all right — and in the dark.”

    4. “Sen. Jones, you stand there and argue about the benefits of immigration reform and yet I have evidence that your great grandfather … entered this country illegally. Who are you to seek penalties against illegal immigrants?”

    5. “Vandalism on school property increased 15 percent after the district imposed a requirement for school uniforms. It is therefore clear not only that school uniforms fail to help students or schools but also that they cause students to engage in vandalism.”

    Answers: 1-false dilemma, 2-loaded language, 3-straw argument, 4-personal attack, and 5-false cause

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