Julian is writing a speech to persuade his parents to buy him a car. Read the excerpt from his argument and answer the question that follows.
As the drum major of the band, it's important that I arrive to performances on time and am able to stay after performances to reflect on our formations. Currently, you have to leave work early on days when we perform and then stay up super late to come and pick me up. If I don't get a car, the next thing you know, you'll both end up getting fired from your jobs, suffer from extreme sleep deprivation, and then I'll feel bad about it and quit the band altogether.
Which logical fallacy has Julian used?
Ad populum
Hasty generalization
Non sequitur
Slippery slope
1 answer
Julian has used the "Slippery slope" fallacy in his argument. The slippery slope fallacy occurs when someone argues that a relatively small first step will inevitably lead to a chain of related events resulting in some significant (usually negative) effect. Julian suggests that if he doesn't get a car, it will lead to his parents getting fired from their jobs, suffering from extreme sleep deprivation, and eventually him quitting the band, which is an exaggerated progression of events with unsupported cause-and-effect relationships.