Skip to main content

Can you outsmart the fallacy that started a witch hunt? - Elizabeth Cox

1,173,163 Views

6,145 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

It’s 1950. Anti-communist sentiment in the United States is at an all-time high. Senator Joseph McCarthy claims he has a list of communists who are influencing government policy. He makes his first accusation without providing any legitimate evidence, yet the senate committee still schedules a hearing. Can you spot the problem with this hearing? Elizabeth Cox explores the burden of proof fallacy.

McCarthy’s claim against Dorothy Kenyon is based on which of the following fallacies

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Elizabeth Cox
  • Director Pazit Cahlon, Hector Herrera
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Storyboard Artist Pazit Cahlon
  • Animator Hector Herrera
  • Art Director Hector Herrera
  • Sound Designer Nick Sewell
  • Music Massassauga
  • Special Thanks Mahrukh Bashir
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox

More from The Way We Think