Flaw Definitions #1 Defining flaws Flashcards
To be able to define flaws.
What is the “tu quoque” (You too) fallacy?
Claiming the argument is flawed by pointing out that the one making the argument is not acting consistently with the claims of the argument
What is the “straw man” fallacy?
To attack a straw man is to attack an argument that was not presented by the opponent.
What is an “appeal to pity”?
An arguer attempts to evoke feelings of pity or compassion, when such feelings are not logically relevant to the arguer’s conclusion.
What is an “appeal to authority”?
Insisting that a claim is true simply because a valid authority or expert on the issue said it was true, without any other supporting evidence offered
What does “restricting the options” mean?
It is when someone is asked to choose between two options when there is at least one other option available.
What is a “post hoc” fallacy?
This fallacy is committed when it is assumed that because one thing occurred after another, it must have occurred as a result of it
What is “equivocation”?
This fallacy is committed when a term is used in two or more different senses within a single argument.
What is a “flawed analogy”?
When an analogy is used to prove or disprove an argument, but the analogy is too dissimilar to be effective
What is an “ad hominem” attack?
An argument based on feelings of prejudice, rather than facts, reason or logic. Attacking the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself, when the attack on the person is completely irrelevant to the argument the person is making.
What is an “appeal to tradition”?
Using historical preferences of the people (tradition), either in general or as specific as the historical preferences of a single individual, as evidence that the historical preference is correct.
What is “inconsistency” in an argument?
Two or more propositions are asserted that cannot both possibly be true.
What is “conflation” in an argument?
Treating two differing things as they were the same.
What is a “slippery slope”?
When a relatively insignificant first event is suggested to lead to a more significant event, which in turn leads to a more significant event, and so on.
What is a “generalization”?
Drawing a conclusion based on a small sample size, rather than looking at statistics that are much more in line with the typical or average situation.
What is an “appeal to ignorance”?
Arguments from ignorance infer that a claim is true from the fact that it is not known to be false.
