HSRT Identifying Logical Fallacies 2

Question 1

A physician argues: 'Either we prescribe this new expensive antibiotic, or the patient will die.' The patient has a mild urinary tract infection. This argument commits which fallacy?

Accepted Answer

False dilemma — the argument artificially restricts options to two when multiple alternatives exist

Answer

Slippery slope — it assumes one action inevitably leads to a catastrophic outcome

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Ad hominem — it attacks the patient's decision-making

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Straw man — it misrepresents the actual clinical scenario

Question 2

During a team meeting, a senior surgeon says: 'I've done this procedure for 25 years without complications, so there's no need to update our protocol.' Which fallacy is this?

Accepted Answer

Appeal to tradition — past practice is used to justify resistance to evidence-based updates

Answer

Appeal to authority — the surgeon's position is used to override committee decisions

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Hasty generalization — inferring all future cases from past personal experience

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Confirmation bias — selectively remembering successful cases

Question 3

A clinical ethics committee member argues: 'If we allow terminally ill patients to refuse treatment, soon doctors will be pressured to euthanize all elderly patients.' This argument exemplifies:

Accepted Answer

Slippery slope — an unwarranted assumption that one action will inevitably lead to a series of extreme consequences

Answer

False dilemma — the argument presents only two extreme options

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Straw man — the argument misrepresents the committee's proposal

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Ad hominem — the argument attacks those who support patient autonomy

Question 4

A nurse says to a patient: 'Dr. Smith is an expert in cardiology, so his recommendation that all patients should take aspirin daily must be correct.' This exemplifies:

Accepted Answer

Appeal to authority — expertise in one domain does not make all claims in that domain automatically correct

Answer

Ad hominem — the argument uses the doctor's identity instead of evidence

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Bandwagon fallacy — the claim implies everyone agrees with Dr. Smith

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False analogy — comparing aspirin use across different patient populations

Question 5

A hospital administrator argues against hiring more night nurses: 'The last nurse we hired for nights called in sick three times in two months. You can see why night nurses are unreliable.' This commits which fallacy?

Accepted Answer

Hasty generalization — drawing a broad conclusion about all night nurses from a single case

Answer

Straw man — misrepresenting the argument for hiring more nurses

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Ad hominem — attacking the character of the nurse in question

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False dilemma — presenting only two staffing options

Question 6

During a clinical debate, a colleague says: 'You think we should reduce antibiotic prescribing, but you also took antibiotics last year. You're a hypocrite.' This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Ad hominem (tu quoque) — attacking the person's alleged inconsistency rather than addressing the argument

Answer

Straw man — misrepresenting the argument for reduced prescribing

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Appeal to hypocrisy — a valid refutation when the speaker violates their own standards

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False analogy — comparing personal antibiotic use to prescribing policy