Assignment task: Evaluate how well each of the following arguments follows Rule 12 (viz. Analogies require relevantly similar examples).
Tips: To help structure your thinking, it helps to think in terms of four questions:
- In what ways are the two things similar?
- How is each of these similarities relevant to the conclusion?
- In what ways are the two things different?
- How is each of these differences relevant to the conclusion?
a. We all know that people should not drive while they are drunk. Texting while driving is like driving while drunk in that both make people react more slowly to road hazards. Therefore, people should not text while driving.
b. Some people argue that there would be fewer mass shootings if more people had guns-especially in the kinds of places where mass shootings occur. But arguing that having more guns will solve the problem of mass shootings is like arguing that smoking more cigarettes will cure lung cancer.