Which among the following statements are negatively relevant in the context of fallacies of Relevance ?

(A) Dogs are cats, cats are felines so dogs are felines.

(B) Althea is a two years old. So, Althea probably goes to college.

(C) Chris is a woman. Therefore, Chris enjoys knitting.

(D) Marty is a high-school senior. So, Marty likely has a Ph.D.

(E) All dogs have five legs. Rover is a dog. So Rover has five legs.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below: 

The correct answer is - (B) and (D) Only

Key Points

• (B) Althea is a two years old. So, Althea probably goes to college.
  • This is a fallacy because it is highly unlikely and irrelevant to assume that a two-year-old child goes to college.
  • It demonstrates an irrelevant conclusion based on unrelated premises.
• (D) Marty is a high-school senior. So, Marty likely has a Ph.D.
  • This statement is also a fallacy because it is highly improbable and irrelevant to assume that a high-school senior already has a Ph.D.
  • It shows an irrelevant conclusion by jumping to an unreasonable conclusion from the given premise.

Additional Information

• Fallacies of Relevance
  • These fallacies occur when the premises offered in support of a conclusion are not relevant to the truth of the conclusion.
  • Examples include:
    • Ad hominem: Attacking the person instead of the argument.
    • Appeal to emotion: Using emotions to persuade rather than logical reasoning.
    • Red herring: Introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the original issue.
• Identifying Fallacies
  • It's essential to critically analyze the relevance and logical connection between premises and conclusions.
  • Practice recognizing common fallacies in everyday arguments to enhance analytical skills.