Chapter 5

Question 1

In the broadest sense of the word, _______ is any error in reasoning.

Answer 1

Fallacy

Question 2

Fallacy is

Answer 2

fallacy is any error in reasoning.

Question 3

Fallacies differ along which two dimensions?

Answer 3

They involve an error in reason and they have the capacity to deceive us

Question 4

A cardinal virtue in reasoning is

Answer 4

Objectivity

Question 5

Objectivity in thinking and reasoning shows your commitment to…

Answer 5

Thinking in accordance with the facts and interpreting them logically

Question 6

The first violation of objectivity is

Answer 6

Subjectivity

Question 7

The fallacy of _______ism is committed whenever we hold that something is true simply believe we “want” or “believe” them to be true. In a sense willing them to be valid

Answer 7

Subjectivism

Question 8

The fallacy of Subjectivism is committed whenever we …

Answer 8

whenever we hold that something is true simply believe we “want” or “believe” them to be true. In a sense willing them to be valid

Question 9

True or false: The fallacy of objectivism is committed whenever we hold that something is true simply believe we “want” or “believe” that it is true. In a sense we are thus willing them to be valid.

Answer 9

False

Question 10

In subjectivism: I want/believe (p) to be true therefore ➡️ (p) is ____

Answer 10

(P) is True

Question 11

______ is not only a way of adopting conclusions on _____ grounds but also a way of evading them or ignoring what they don’t know to see

Answer 11

Subjectivism

subjective grounds

Question 12

Subjectivism is not only a way of ______ conclusions on subjective grounds but also a way of ______ them or ignoring what they don’t know to see

Answer 12

adopting

evading

Question 13

In Gone with the Wind, Scarlett says she will “think about that tomorrow” in hope that by ignoring them they will cease to exist. This is an example of

Answer 13

subjectivism or evading subjectivism

Question 14

I don’t want to accept (p) therefore ➡️ (p) isn’t true

This is a form of _____?

Answer 14

Subjectivism

Question 15

A response of “well was brought up to believe in (x)” and does not explain why one ought to believe it too. If we dismiss a counter argument that it is easier not to reevaluate our own convictions then this is a ______ fallacy

Answer 15

Subjective

Question 16

Which fallacy is committed by the following argument?
Natalie is a pillar of our community, and pillars are made of stone or wood. So Natalie must be made of stone or wood.

Select one:

a. hasty generalization
b. ad hominem
c. equivocation
d. post hoc
e. appeal to majority

Answer 16

C. equivocation

Question 17

Which subjectivist fallacy is committed in the following argument?

Lois: If there’s no food in Quahog, what makes you think there’s going to be food anywhere else?
Peter: Lois, everyone knows that there are two things that can survive a nuclear holocaust: cockroaches and Twinkies. . . . (Family Guy, “Da Boom”)

Select one:

a. appeal to force
b. appeal to emotion
c. subjectivism
d. none
e. appeal to majority

Answer 17

e. appeal to majority

Question 18

The fallacy of subjectivism is:

Select one:

a. assuming that an argument is about yourself, rather than someone else
b. talking about too many things in an argument instead of focusing on one subject
c. holding that something is true merely because we want or believe it to be true
d. assuming that everyone will agree with an argument, even though it is controversial
e. focusing an argument on a point that is unrelated to the one you’re trying to prove

Answer 18

c. holding that something is true merely because we want or believe it to be true

Question 19

Which of the following arguments commits the fallacy of subjectivism?

Select one:

a. Since I want a video game for Christmas, I should tell my parents.
b. Since I want there to be life on other planets, there is life on other planets.
c. Since I want to make sushi tonight, I will need to buy some rice.
d. Since I want to make more money, I should look for a better job.
e. Since I want to rest tomorrow, I must finish my project today.

Answer 19

b. Since I want there to be life on other planets, there is life on other planets

Question 20

Which fallacy is committed by the following argument?
We should all tell the truth all of the time, since no one should ever lie at any time.

Select one:

a. equivocation
b. begging the question
c. slippery slope
d. accident
e. appeal to emotion

Answer 20

b. begging the question

Question 21

Which fallacy is committed by the following argument?
If we allow you to practice on our piano, then we will have to let everyone else practice on our piano and won’t have time to manage our other responsibilities. So we can’t let you practice on it.

Select one:

a. subjectivism
b. slippery slope
c. ad hominem
d. composition
e. post hoc

Answer 21

b. slippery slope

Question 22

Which fallacy is committed by the following argument?
It isn’t clear from our focus group whether or not this bill will be popular with the people. Thus for the time being, we can assume that it will.

Select one:

a. appeal to ignorance
b. diversion
c. accident
d. ad hominem
e. appeal to emotion

Answer 22

a. appeal to ignorance

Question 23

A straw man argument is a form of diversion in which someone:

Select one:

a. changes the subject in such a way as to support two opposing positions at the same time
b. attempts to distract an opponent with pointing and other gestures in order to avoid responding to what the opponent is saying
c. changes the subject in such an obvious way that it appears that he or she has no brain (like the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz)
d. distorts an opponent’s position and then refutes the distorted position instead of the real one
e. distorts an opponent’s position and then argues for it instead of against it

Answer 23

d. distorts an opponent’s position and then refutes the distorted position instead of the real one

Question 24

The ad hominem fallacy occurs when:

Select one:

a. someone attacks the person making an argument instead of the argument itself
b. someone makes an argument that will only appeal to men, and not to women
c. someone says the same thing over and over without making any new points
d. an argument confuses two different words that are spelled the same way
e. someone assumes that others from his or her culture will agree with his or her position

Answer 24

a. someone attacks the person making an argument instead of the argument itself

Question 25

True or false? An argument that begins with “I believe” commits the fallacy of subjectivism.

Select one:

a. It depends on whether an objective reason is given for the truth of the conclusion.
b. False unless the argument is about something controversial.
c. False in every case.
d. True in every case.
e. It depends on whether the premise that follows “I believe” is true or false.

Answer 25

a. It depends on whether an objective reason is given for the truth of the conclusion

Question 26

The following is an example of what type of fallacy: That may be true for you, but it isn1t true for me.

Answer 26

Subjective

Question 27

A fallacy that is essentially like a subjective fallacy is one that _____ to the majority. The subjective state of large numbers of people is being used as evidence for the truth of a proposition is still subjective and thus still fallacious.

Answer 27

Appeal to the majority

Question 28

The following is an example of what type of fallacy: 
The majority (of people, nations , etc.) believe p 
———> 
p is true

Answer 28

Appeal to the majority

Question 29

At various times, majorities have believed that the earth is
flat, that bathing is unsanitary, and that certain women should be burned as witches. The fallacy of _______ is committed whenever someone takes a proposition
to be true merely because large numbers of people believe it.

Answer 29

Appeal to majority

Question 30

Appeal to majority

Answer 30

Whenever someone takes a proposition to be true merely because large numbers of people believe it.

Question 31

Appeal to emotion

Answer 31

the hope that people will adopt a belief on the basis of a feeling that has been instilled in them: outrage, hostility ,
fear, pity, guilt, etc.

Question 32

True or False: Rhetoric and other emotive devices are not fallacious per se. If you have a logical argument to back up a conclusion, there is nothing wrong with stat ing it in such a way that your audience will endorse it with their feelings as well as their intellects. Good writers and speakers combine logic and rhetor ic to produce exactly that effect.

Answer 32

True

Question 33

When rhetoric replaces logic, only when the intent is to make an audience act on emotion instead of rational judgment is when a _____ type of fallacy occurs

Answer 33

Appeal to emotion

Question 34

Argumentum ad Baculum is the same as

argument to the (in Latin, argumentum)
a club (in Latin, baculum)

Argument to the club

Answer 34

Appeal to Force

Question 35

If I persuade you of something by means of threats than I have simply scared you into thinking it is true. This is an appeal to ____

Answer 35

appeal to force

Question 36

When a government engages in censorship, for example, it uses ____ to prohibit the expression of certain ideas and to compel agreement with other ideas. The point of this control over verbal expression is to influence what people believe. But the fallacy need not involve actual _____ or _____.

Answer 36

force
physical force or violence

Appeal of force is committed whenever any sort of threat is used, and nonphysical threats are probably more common than physical ones.

Question 37

_____ is committed whenever any sort of threat is used, and nonphysical threats are probably more common than physical ones.

Answer 37

Appeal of force

Question 38

Subjectivist Fallacies

1) Subjectivism is…

Answer 38

using the fact that one believes or wants a proposition to be true as evidence of its truth.

Question 39

Subjectivist Fallacies

2) Appeal to the majority is…

Answer 39

using the fact that large numbers of people believe a proposition to be true as evidence of its truth.

Question 40

Subjectivist Fallacies

3) Appeal to emotion (argumentum ad populum) is…

Answer 40

trying to get someone to accept a proposition on the basis of an emotion one elicits

Question 41

Subjectivist Fallacies

4) Appeal to force (argumentum ad baculum) is…

Answer 41

trying to get someone to accept a proposition on the basis of a threat

Question 42

What is a fallacy?

Answer 42

A fallacy is an error in reasoning. It is useful to study them to better understand the nature of good reasoning, and so that you can avoid them in your own reasoning and identify them when others use them.

Question 43

There are _____ and ____ fallacies.

Answer 43

informal fallacies and formal fallacies

Question 44

An ______ is someone whose word carries special weight. someone who can speak with _______ because of expertise in some area of knowledge.

Answer 44

Authority

authority

Question 45

It is perfectly appropriate to rely on the testimony of authorities if the conditions of credibility are satisfied. If they are not satisfied, however, the appeal to authority
is______.

Answer 45

fallacious

Question 46

The _______ is typically violated when someone speaks outside of their field of expertise. Because their opinions carries no more weight than that of any layman.

Answer 46

appeal of authority

Question 47

Specialists disagree. But what should we do when we encounter such disagreements?

Answer 47

The first thing to do, of course, is to make sure that we are dealing with a genuine dispute among experts and not simply an effort by some non-expert to challenge well-established principles or theories. If the dispute is a genuine one, then we have to take both sides into account. An argument that appeals only to one group of experts is fallacious.

Question 48

The second condition for credibility is that the alleged authority be ______. there are certain red flags that should at least raise a question about _____. Vested interests are an obvious example.

Answer 48

objective

objectivity

Question 49

An _________ argument rejects or dismisses another person ‘s statement by attacking the person rather than the statement itself.

Answer 49

ad hominem argument

Question 50

An __________ argument has the form:

X says p + X has some negative trait
————>
p is false

Answer 50

ad hominem

Question 51

True or False: it is certainly legitimate for the opposing side to introduce evidence that the witness is dishonest or biased. But discrediting witnesses or authorities does not
provide evidence that what they say is actually false; it merely eliminates any reason for thinking that what they say is true.

Answer 51

True

Question 52

In its crudest form ________ is calling one’s opponent an idiot , slob , lowlife , airhead , fascist , pinko, nerd , fairy, bleeding heart , wimp, Neanderthal , and so on through the rich vocabulary of abuse our language offers

Answer 52

ad hominem fallacy

Question 53

Suppose that someone criticizes you for telling a white lie. If your critic is himself a notorious liar, you’d probably be tempted to say, “Look who ‘s talking! “ This response is certainly understandable - no one enjoys being censured by a moral inferior but it is fallacious. The fact that someone else is guilty of an accusation doesn’t prove that you are innocent. It may be unseemly for the pot to call the kettle black, but the kettle is black nonetheless. This is an example of

Answer 53

ad hominem known as the tu quoque (“you ‘re another “)

argument

Question 54

Classic example of _______ fallacy is the patient who says to his doctor: “How can you tell me I should stop smoking when you still smoke yourself?” The fact that a doctor doesn’t take his own advice hardly means that it isn’t good advice; a hypocrite may still say something true
or make a valid argument.

Answer 54

ad hominem

Question 55

argumentum ad verecun

Answer 55

Appeal to authority

Question 56

using a negative trait of the speaker as evidence that his statement is false or his argument week

Answer 56

ad hominem

Question 57

False Alternative

Answer 57

Suppose you tell me that Diane is not rich, and I infer that she is poor. I have obviously failed to take account of other alternatives. Rich and poor are the extremes on a scale that contains many intermediate degrees of wealth.

Question 58

when we exclude relevant alternatives without justification

Answer 58

False Alternative

Question 59

Another name for a false alternative fallacy is

Answer 59

false dichotomy

Question 60

No matter how certain we are of our conclusions and our arguments, it is always worthwhile to stop and ask the following questions:

Answer 60

Is there anything I’ve overlooked?
Could there be some other explanation for these fact s?
Is there some other perspective one might take?

Question 61

Both ____ and _____ arguments can commit informal fallacies, whereas only deductive arguments can commit formal fallacies. Informal fallacies often involve both logical
and psychological factors; therefore fallacious arguments can be wrong in more than one way. This also means that categorization of the individual fallacies into broader classes is difficult (Kelley provides some broad categories, such as ‘subjectivist fallacies’ and ‘fallacies involving
credibility’ but you don’t need to know those, just know the individual fallacies themselves).

Answer 61

deductive and inductive arguments

Question 62

Post hoc comes from the Latin phrase

Answer 62

After this, therefore became of this

Question 63

The post hoc fallacy is probably the source of many _______

Answer 63

Superstitions

Question 64

This is the formula for which fallacy

A occurred before B
Therefore
A caused B

Answer 64

Post hoc fallacy

Question 65

The following are examples of which fallacy

Water always flows downhill
Large breeds of dogs have shorter lifespans than smaller dogs
People in France are not very friendly to tourists

Answer 65

Generalization (or general proposition)

Question 66

This fallacy, known as ______, can take many forms. A single bad experience while traveling can prejudice our view of an entire city or country. Most of us have stereotypes about ethnic groups, professions, or people from different regions of the country, based on our exposure to a few individuals, etc.

Answer 66

hasty generalization

Question 67

“If you give him an inch, he’ll take a mile” is another way of saying this _____ type of fallacy

Answer 67

slippery slope

Question 68

other ways to describe slippery slope fallacy would be:

Answer 68

domino effect
the primrose path
a ripple effect
the camel's nose in the tent
the thin edge of the wedge