Question

“thurston argues that active euthanasia is sometimes morally acceptable. but we can reject out of hand anything he has to say because he’s an ultraconservative.” which fallacy appears in this reasoning?

a) appeal to authority

b) equivocation

c) begging the question

d) appeal to the person

Explanation:

The reasoning rejects Thurston's argument about active euthanasia not by engaging with his actual claims, but by attacking his personal identity as an ultraconservative. This matches the definition of the appeal to the person (ad hominem) fallacy, where an argument is dismissed based on the speaker's characteristics rather than the argument's merit.

• Appeal to authority relies on an unqualified authority's claim, which is not the case here.
• Equivocation uses a word's multiple meanings to mislead, which is not present.
• Begging the question assumes the conclusion in the premise, which does not occur here.

Answer:

d) appeal to the person