Those who doubt the writing is from the autistic children themselves, lack compassion, and should stay the hell out of our lives!
Ad misericordiam (appeal to pity)
So many people have communicated with their children by using F.C., they can not be wrong!
Ad populum (to the populace)
F.C. communication works much like a ouija board, as the letters build up, hypothesis are formed which direct the unconscious movement of the people playing the game
Argument by analogy
If the children are the authors of the communication, then it will not make any difference if they see something different from what their facilitators see. It does make a difference Therefore the children are not the authors of the communications.
Valid (a form of modus tollens, or denying the consequent!)
My validation that F.C. works came from the one time when my son asked for a trip to Hawaii, and he sat as good as gold on the plane on the trip to Hawaii!
Hasty Generalization
Since the prosecutors, teachers and psychologists all believed that the grandfather had molested the child, then he probably did.
Inappropriate appeal to authority
Either the facilitator is the author of the writing, or the autistic person is. Studies have concluded that the autistic children can not be the people who are doing the writing. Therefore the facilitator is the author of the writing.
Valid (disjunctive syllogismprocess of elimination)
F.C. is just like any other drug which is supposed to benefit society. Since prescription drugs must be tested to make sure they are safe and effective, then so should facilitated communication.
Argument by analogy
Jack Bigland, professor at Syracuse University, and main proponent of F.C., has a lot to lose if F.C. turns out to be bogus, so we can not trust his opinion on facilitated communication.
Ad hominem circumstantial (poisoning the well)
She typed: I M S N O S That easy! It is shorthand for: I miss nose!
Fallacy of Ambiguity (equivocation)
If I call my realtor and ask how the showing went on my house, she ll think I m too eager If I call and pretend I m calling about something else, she ll know why I m really calling and will think I m too eager If I don t call, she ll know I m afraid of being perceived as too eager, and will really, really think I m too eager. Me and my endless doomed quest for coyness
Argument from Ignorance Ad ignorantium (the conclusion that she will appear eager is non-falsifiable)
Since certain autistic children (idiot savants) possess amazing abilities in math and music, then why can t other autistic children possess the same abilities in literacy?
hasty generalization or false analogy
Fallacy of Ambiguity (equivocation)
Our child s third-grade teacher stated that she could not conceive of other people speaking for the autistic children, so facilitated communication must be real!
Inappropriate appeal to authority.
My grandmother died shortly after the doctor gave her a shot of a powerful antibiotic, so it must have been the antibiotic that killed her.
False cause (post hoc, ergo propter hoc)
Since there is no evidence that Accugen baby gender detector works, we can assume it does not.
Appeal to Ignorance
*Weak Induction (Hasty generalization = trends that are not indicative of the future) *Ad Hominem = user s hubris and ignorance *Appeal to Inappropriate Authority = testimonials from people whose results are not typical
You are either with us or against us.
Black-white fallacy (all or nothing fallacy False dichotomy)
You can t put any faith in what the one guy from Boston says, he talks like an idiot and can t even pronounce words correctly!
Ad hominem (abusive or circumstantial)
If Connie Gesari of the K. Gibbs School or typists can t type with one finger, then nobody can
Hasty Generalization
Airborne, a dietary supplement that many people take to help prevent and treat the common cold, is getting a lot of buzz.... Sally Firth, 37, a respiratory therapist in Milwaukee, said she recommended the effervescent tablets "to everyone who says hello."... Oprah Winfrey recently lauded Airborne on her talk show. Howard Stern did the same on his. The company watched its sales rise to more than $17 million last year, according to Information Resources Inc., which tracks retail sales. And the cold treatment has become America's 10th largest selling multivitamin... But does Airborne work? Doctors say there is so far no evidence to demonstrate that it does, (therefore they conclude it does not.)
Appeal to inappropriate authority (Oprah Winfrey...) Argument from ignorance (since it has not been proven effective, it isn t) Ad populum (everyone is using it)
The majority of humans that can read have eyes that see, hands that feel, ears that hear, noses that smell and tongues that taste. Therefore, since the majority of Bonobos (a species of Chimpanzee) have these same qualities, they should be able to read also.
False Analogy
If gravity is a warping of space-time, then light approaching the sun will be bent or deflected more than normal. Gravity is a warping of space-time Therefore light approaching the sun will be bent or deflected more than normal.
Valid (modus ponens)
Ex-President Clinton is a liar, a sex fiend, unfaithful to his wife, and an immoral President. Therefore one can easily dismiss his views on Foreign Policy, since nothing the man says can be trusted.
Ad hominem (abusive)
ad-hominem -appeal to inappropriate authority or (against the husband s conclusion) Argument by analogy
Tautology (begging the question)
Since the victim was found shot dead in the parking lot of a local bar, one should not drink or go to bars
False Cause (hasty generalization)
Democracy is the political system that gives each person one vote in deciding political decisions. Since only certain people get to vote in the primary elections, then we do not live in a democracy.
Straw man (mischaracterizes democracies)
False Dichotomy