Beyond Feelings

132 PART TWO The Pitfalls
IRRATIONAL APPEAL TO COMMON BELIEF
A rational appeal to common belief says, “Most people believe this,” and
goes on to show the reasonableness of the belief. An irrational appeal to
common belief says, “Believe this because most people believe it.” Such
irrational appeals are often accompanied by statements such as “Everyone
knows that,” “No reasonable person would deny that,” or “It’s common
sense.” The problem is, many ideas that were at one time accepted as common
sense—sacrificing virgins to ensure a good harvest and abandoning
babies to die because they were thought to be cursed, for example—are
now recognized as uncommon nonsense or worse. The fact that many or
most people believe something is not a sufficient reason for us to believe it.
IRRATIONAL APPEAL TO TOLERANCE
A rational appeal to tolerance explains why tolerance is appropriate in the
particular situation in question. An irrational appeal says, “Because tolerance
is good in general, it is the right response to every situation, including
this one.” This is sheer nonsense. Some acts—terrorism, rape, and child
abuse, for example—cry out for condemnation. A society that tolerates these
acts encourages them and commits a further offense against the victims.
In summary, the best way to distinguish between rational and irrational
appeals is to ask whether the appeal is accompanied by an explanation
of why you should accept it. If an explanation is offered and it proves
reasonable, the appeal is rational. If no explanation is offered or if the
explanation is not credible, then the appeal is irrational.
Applications
1. A British physician made the following statement in 1932: “If your eyes
are set wide apart you should be a vegetarian, because you inherit the digestive
characteristics of bovine or equine ancestry.” 3 What error in thinking would you
classify this as? Explain.
2. Henry Veatch contends that if we embrace moral relativism (the belief
that no one moral judgment is better than any other), we cannot take a position
on any moral issue without contradicting ourselves. 4 Is Veatch correct? Make
your answer as concrete as possible—that is, mention specific positions on particular
issues.
3. From your observation of others, give an example of each of the errors
described in this chapter.
4. Which of the errors presented in this chapter have you committed? In each
case explain the error and describe the circumstances under which it occurred.
5. Read the following dialogue carefully. If you note any of the errors in
thinking discussed in this chapter or in Chapters 9 and 10, identify them. Then
decide which view of the issue is more reasonable and explain why you think so,
taking care to avoid the errors discussed in this and previous chapters.