"Good" arguments (1) have all true premises, but they also (2) avoid fallacious reasoning. Thus, if you can detect either a false premise or a fallacy within an argument, then you know the argument is not a "good" argument (that is, a "sound" or "cogent" argument, for deductive and inductive arguments respectively). However, not all defective arguments commit a fallacy. Specifically, a fallacy is a defect in an argument that arises from faulty reasoning in the argument, not because the argument has one or more false premises. Furthermore, there are two distinct types of fallacies to look out for: informal and formal fallacies. A formal fallacy arises from a defect in the structure of an argument, so that you can identify these fallacies by simply examining the argument's form, without regard to the specific content of the argument. By contrast, an informal fallacy arises from mistaken presumptions about the content of an argument and can only be detected by examining the specific content of the argument's statements.
Determine whether each argument is a "good" argument or a defective argument. If it is defective, determine whether it also commits a fallacy, and indicate which type of fallacy (formal or informal) it commits.
Argument A
P1: No mammals are reptiles.
P2: All boa constrictors are reptiles.
C: Therefore, no mammals are boa constrictors.
Argument A a "good" argument; and it commit a fallacy.
Does Argument A commit an informal or a formal fallacy?
Argument A commits a formal fallacy.
Argument A commits no fallacy.
Argument A commits an informal fallacy.
Argument B
P1: If the Concorde was a propeller plane, then there is no way that the Concorde flew faster than the speed of sound.
P2: The Concorde was a propeller plane.
C: So, there is no way that the Concorde flew faster than the speed of sound.
Argument B a "good" argument; and it commit a fallacy.
Does Argument B commit an informal or a formal fallacy?
Argument B commits an informal fallacy.
Argument B commits a formal fallacy.
Argument B commits no fallacy.
