Using general rules for composing short arguments (rules 7, 8, 9,10, 11) to eval

Question

Using general rules for composing short arguments (rules 7, 8, 9,10, 11) to evaluate arguments for generalization. Evaluate how well each of the following arguments follows the rules.

Argument:

Eight members of Congress resigned during 2012. More than half of those who resigned did so because of bad or bizarre behavior, such as having extramarital affairs or tweeting mostly naked selfies. The American public is clearly in no mood to tolerate politicians’ personal failings. Unlike in past decades, we’re now in an age where any politician who misbehaves will be forced from office.

Explanation / Answer

The given argument commits the fallacy of Non sequitur as it states a conclusion that doesn’t necessarily follow from the premise. The conclusion about the attitude of the general American public is assumed to flow from the premisss about the acts of resignation by the Congressman in the past. However, the argument does not support any evidence for a valid causal connection between the past and the present trends and it is therefore an invalid inductive argument.

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