Answer
(a) The conclusion is fallacious because there is no logical connection between finding a $100 bill and the statement in the fortune cookie. The event could be a coincidence or due to other factors, and it does not prove the accuracy of the prediction.
(b) The conclusion is fallacious because it relies on anecdotal evidence and ignores alternative explanations for the cultural beliefs about sky beings. There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that aliens visited Earth and influenced human culture.
(c) The conclusion is fallacious because it confuses correlation with causation. The observed pattern of light-colored animals on light-colored surfaces and dark-colored animals on dark surfaces may be due to natural selection and adaptation to the environment, rather than the surface color causing the animal color.
(d) The conclusion is fallacious because it relies on a small sample size and ignores the possibility of other factors that may contribute to the reduced frequency of colds, such as changes in diet or lifestyle. There is also conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing colds, and more rigorous studies are needed to establish a causal relationship.
Work Step by Step
(a) The fallacy in this conclusion is the post hoc fallacy, which assumes that because one event followed another, the first event caused the second. Just because the fortune cookie predicted a happy event and a $100 bill was found four months later does not necessarily mean that the prediction was correct.
(b) The fallacy in this conclusion is the argument from ignorance fallacy, which assumes that a lack of evidence against a claim is evidence for it. Just because there is no conclusive evidence disproving the idea that aliens visited Earth and influenced human development does not necessarily mean that it is true.
(c) The fallacy in this conclusion is the assumption of causation fallacy, which assumes that because two events are correlated, one caused the other. Just because light-colored animals tend to live on light-colored surfaces and dark-colored animals tend to live on dark-colored surfaces does not necessarily mean that the surface color causes the animals' color.
(d) The fallacy in this conclusion is the hasty generalization fallacy, which assumes that a conclusion can be drawn based on insufficient evidence. Just because three people have had fewer colds since taking vitamin C does not necessarily mean that vitamin C prevents colds. There could be other factors at play, and a larger sample size is needed to draw a more accurate conclusion.
