Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking by M. Neil Browne & Stuart M. Keeley

Author:M. Neil Browne & Stuart M. Keeley
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Pearson Education
Published: 2014-01-14T14:00:00+00:00

2. The surgeon general has been influenced by AIDS hysteria and

the media.

3. The report removes the role of the family entirely.

4. Sex education is the job of parents; that’s the way it has been and that’s the way it should be.

The author begins the argument by attacking the surgeon gen-

eral rather than the issue. She claims that the recommendation is a

by- product of the AIDS hysteria rather than extensive research. Her suggestion that the surgeon general issues reports in reaction to hot topics in the media undermines his credibility and character and is therefore

ad hominem.

The second reason is a straw-person fallacy because it implies that the goal of sex education is to supply all the child’s sex education.

Her third reason confuses “what is” with “what should be,” and thus

is an example of wishful thinking. Because sex education should be up to the parents does not mean that they will provide education.

The fourth reason presents a false dilemma—either keep sex educa-

tion out of the schools or face morally loose, value-free children. But

isn’t it possible to have morally loose children even when sex education is taking place in the home? Isn’t it also a possibility that both parents and the schools can play a role in sex education? Might not education

result in children who are prepared to handle the issue of sex in their

lives better than morally deficient delinquents?

Passage 2

ConClusion: Fraternity parties on campus should not be banned.

Reasons:

1. Desire to ban results from hysterical public reaction to

just a few cases.

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