San Diego State University Philosophy Fallacies & Inductive Reasoning Discussion

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mrr29

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San Diego State University

Description

Watch the film Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter (1999) (Links to an external site.), then follow the directions below.

Part I (5 points):

  1. What two instances of inductive reasoning can you identify in the film? Are they weak or strong? If strong, are they cogent? Explain fully.
  2. What fallacies can you identify throughout the film? If you had to pick one, what blatant fallacy do you think the film thoroughly explores and in what way(s) is it committed?
  3. Summarize your thoughts on the documentary: What is the significance of Leuchter's story? What is the documentary meant to demonstrate?

Part II (3 points):

Review what your fellow students posted in this forum, then respond to a discussion post of your choosing for Part I #3 in 250 (words or more). What are you in agreement with and why? Make sure you cite specific claims or examples from the post you choose to respond to as well as from the film.

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Explanation & Answer

Please view explanation and answer below.

1

Philosophy Fallacies and Inductive Reasoning

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2
Philosophy Fallacies and Inductive reasoning
Part I
1. The first instance of inductive reasoning is actions presented by Leuchter, the main actor of
Mr. Death. He claims that all executions in American prisons were unsafe and ineffective (Mee,
2019). However, there is no evidence to prove that the methods used were lethal. Another
incident of inductive reasoning is when Leuchter claims to be the only one willing to inspect and
design modifications to electric chairs used for execution. There is insufficient evidence to prove
that others were not willing to do what Leuchter was doing. The inductive reasoning has been
represented strongly in a compelling manner.
2. It is a blatant fallacy to claim that execution methods were unsafe and often ineffective.
Execution in itself is a capital penalty that leads to the death of a convict. Astonishingly,
Leuchter worries about the methods used to kill someone when death itself is inhumane.
It is also a fallacy for Leuchter to carry bricks from Poland to the United States to test if they
contain poisonous gas. It was a wrong move for him to test whether Bricks can tell the presence
of toxic gas.
3. In Errol Morris's film, "Mr. Death, Fred Leuchter is presented as an innovator of many death
penalty methods. He is seen as a hero by some and a villain by others. Leuchter, in the film,
considers himself a hero because he has been able to do much that others could not attempt to do....


Anonymous
Excellent! Definitely coming back for more study materials.

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