QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning
CONCLUSION: Legislators have misrepresented public opinion by claiming that the public finds current movies morally offensive.
REASONING: In a recent survey of those who see many, many movies, few thought the movies were overly violent, and even fewer found them morally offensive.
ANALYSIS: The survey uses a biased sample. If you found movies violent and morally offensive, would you see “far more current movies than the average moviegoer”? I doubt it.
A good survey will poll the public at random, not an unrepresentative group.
___________
- The stimulus did not attack the legislators personally.
- Morality is inherently subjective. There is no problem with surveying people to gather information.
- They needn’t consider this possibility, as they are arguing that movies are not excessively violent.
- CORRECT. Yes. Heavy moviegoers probably enjoy current movies and therefore don’t find them morally offensive. People who do find movies morally offensive will stay home.
- The argument made no such presumption. The survey questioned people who had seen recent movies.
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