LETTER: Fallacy found at Feb. rally

Editor,

I would just like to point out an informal fallacy the College Republicans keep trying to use as their basis for opposing gay marriage. It’s simply called “appeal to the majority.” This fallacy is committed when one attempts to support a conclusion by stating that the majority accepts it.

In the gay marriage debate, College Republicans consistently claim that gay marriage should be banned because the majority does not accept it. This does not necessarily make their claim correct. A majority of Germans in the 1930s believed they were the superior race, but that did not make it true. Also, a majority of Americans believed segregation was a good thing in the 1950s; the fact that they believed that did not make it correct.

However, if the College Republicans insist on using informal fallacies to prove their point, I figure I might as well help them out and offer some good ones to use in the future. For those curious on what type of fallacy it is, I’ll put that in parentheses after the fallacy.

Here goes: You’d better support the banning of gay marriage or else I’ll punch you in the face! (appeal to force). John believes gays should be allowed to marry. But John’s opinion should be disregarded. John is gay and only supports gay marriage because it will directly benefit him (circumstantial ad hominem). Allowing gays to marry will create social chaos, followed by complete and utter anarchy, ultimately leading to the destruction of our nation (slippery slope). Either you oppose gay marriage or you’re in favor of social anarchy. Of course you don’t want anarchy, so you’ll eventually oppose gay marriage (false dichotomy).

Well, that’s about all I come up with off the top of my head, so those will have to do. My personal favorite is the appeal to force argument, but feel free to use whichever one you want. Just remember that in the future you might want to think about what you’re saying before you say it.

Stu Baker