During a staff meeting, a nurse who is mentoring new BSN graduate states, "We are lucky to have a new nurse join our staff who is a BSN graduate from our local university."

Question

Another staff nurse is heard saying, "BSN. BSN is you don't have a BSN you aren't valued. You don't see anyone welcoming any nurses with associate degrees—we are not valued." The conversation places the mentor in a negative position when her intention was simply to welcome the new employee. The staff nurse's negative response represents which logical fallacy?
a. Straw man
b. Appeal to tradition
c. Confusing Cause and Effect
d. Appeal to Common Practice

Answer 1

ANS: A
Correct: Straw man occurs when a person's position on a topic is misrepresented.
Incorrect:
b. Appeal to tradition is the argument that doing things a certain way is best because they have always been done that way.
c. Confusing cause and effect occurs when one assumes that one event must cause another such as walking under a ladder is bad luck after observing a painter walk under a ladder then fall and break his leg.
d. Appeal to common practice is accepting an answer or situation because most people do it that way.