Logical Fallacies Flashcards
Hasty generalization
Making a quick generalization about something
ex: I heard that there was drug use in a bathroom at that high school, so that high school must have a terrible drug problem.
Post hoc ergo procter hoc
after this, therefore because of this
Events that happen in sequence does not imply causation
ex: The rooster crows always before the sun rises, therefore the crowing rooster causes the sun to rise.
False dilemma
The reduction or oversimplification of an argument to two extreme, inaccurate choices.
ex: I either pass this class, or I will never get into college.
Faulty Analogy
Assuming that because two things are alike in one way, they will be alike in another way
ex: apples, strawberries, and raspberries are all red and all fruits, so all fruits are red
Straw man fallacy
the oversimplification or exaggeration of another’s opinion/perspective followed by an attack on this distorted version when in reality the argument is more complicated or nuanced
ex: A:“I love eating burgers and steak!” B: “Oh my god, you’re such an animal hater! You’re terrible! I bet you don’t believe in having pets.”
Ad hominem
to the person
when the argument is focusing on the other person’s character rather than the actual topic itself
ex: Abby explained an APUSH topic to Ambika, and Ambika said she’s wrong because she got a C in the last precalc test.
Red herring
A piece of knowledge or information that has the intention to misguide, deceive, or distract an audience from the current and or relevant topic of conversation
ex:
Employee: “This company needs to raise our salaries!”
Employer: “We can’t raise salaries but we’ll provide great benefits”
Equivocation
Presents only part of the truth; leaves out facts that a reader would need to make a thorough evaluation of the conclusion; relies on ambiguous definitions of words or to mean two or more things
ex: I have the right to freedom of speech. Therefore, it’s right that I say whatever I want without impunity.
Circular reasoning
Both the conclusion and evidence describe the same idea.
ex:
1. He does that because he has autism
2. How do you know he does that because of his autism?
3. Because he does that
4. But why does he do that?
5. Because he has autism
Appeal to false authority
The conclusion relies solely on the credentials or fame of the person making the argument.
ex: I’m going to drink only lemon infused water because Kylie Jenner said to
Non sequitur
It doesn’t follow
the conclusion is not logically related to the evidence that preceded it
ex: People died from cancer before smoking was invented, so smoking doesn’t cause cancer
Bandwagon
Appeal to the masses; appeal to the “common” belief.
ex: Everyone is going to get the new iphone, so I will too
