exam Flashcards
(66 cards)
rhetorical devices : what is ad hominem?
This is a type of attack on a person rather than their argument. Instead of addressing the reasoning or evidence, an ad hominem attack targets the character, motives, or circumstances of the person making the argument.
rhetorical devices : what is appeal to authority?
This device occurs when an argument relies on the support of an authority figure, but without critically assessing the relevance or expertise of that authority. While authority can lend credibility, the appeal is fallacious if the authority is not an expert in the relevant field or if their opinion is not adequately supported
rhetorical devices : what is appeal to popularity?
This rhetorical device assumes that if many people believe something, it must be true or valid. It appeals to the desire to conform and is often used in advertising, politics, and social discourse to persuade by popular consensus rather than reason.
rhetorical devices : what is appeal to emotion?
Rather than presenting logical evidence, this device attempts to evoke an emotional response (fear, pity, anger, etc.) in the audience to persuade them to accept a conclusion. While emotions are an important part of human experience, reasoning should not be based solely on emotional appeal.
rhetorical devices : what is a false dilemma?
This fallacy presents a situation as though there are only two possible alternatives, when in fact, there may be a range of options. It forces an oversimplified binary choice, discouraging consideration of other possibilities.
rhetorical devices : what is a straw man?
The straw man fallacy involves misrepresenting or oversimplifying someone else’s argument to make it easier to attack. Instead of addressing the original argument, the speaker distorts it and argues against the distorted version.
rhetorical devices : what is a red herring?
This device introduces an irrelevant topic to divert attention away from the issue at hand. It is meant to mislead the audience into focusing on something unrelated, thus weakening the original argument or debate.
rhetorical devices : what is a slippery slope?
A slippery slope argument suggests that a relatively small first step will inevitably lead to a chain of related events with significant negative consequences, even though no logical connection has been established between the events.
rhetorical devices : what is begging the question?
This device occurs when an argument’s premises assume the truth of the conclusion instead of supporting it. Essentially, the argument goes in a circle, with the conclusion embedded within the premise itself.
rhetorical devices : what is hasty generalization?
This is when a conclusion is drawn based on an insufficient sample size or a limited set of experiences. It generalizes from specific instances to broad conclusions without adequate evidence.
rhetorical devices : what is false cause? (post hoc)
This device assumes a cause-and-effect relationship between two events simply because one event follows another. Just because something occurs after another event doesn’t necessarily mean it was caused by it.
what is an independent premise?
Independent premises are premises that provide separate, distinct support for the conclusion. Each premise stands on its own and would still support the conclusion even if the other premises were removed.
what is an example of a independent premise?
Premise 1: All humans are mortal.
Premise 2: Socrates is a human.
Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
what is a dependent premise?
Dependent premises are premises that rely on each other for their collective support of the conclusion. If one premise is removed, the remaining premises may no longer provide sufficient support for the conclusion
what is an example of a dependent premise?
Premise 1: The company has been losing money every quarter for the last year.
Premise 2: The company has a large amount of debt.
Conclusion: Therefore, the company is likely to go bankrupt soon.
what is standard form?
This method involves listing the premises and the conclusion in a clear, organized manner, often numbered or in bullet points. The relationship between the premises and conclusion is explicitly stated, and it’s easy to see how the premises lead to the conclusion.
what is an example of standard form?
Premise 1: All humans are mortal.
Premise 2: Socrates is a human.
Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
what is ambiguity?
Ambiguity occurs when a word, phrase, or statement has more than one possible meaning. In other words, the meaning is uncertain because it can be interpreted in different ways. Ambiguity can arise from a single word, a phrase, or even an entire sentence.
what is an example of ambiguity?
“She gave him a book.”
This is ambiguous because it’s unclear whether “she” gave “him” a physical book or a book in an abstract sense (e.g., a book of knowledge or ideas).
what is the first type of ambiguity?
Lexical Ambiguity: A word has multiple meanings.
Example: “Bank” can refer to a financial institution or the side of a river.
what is the second type of ambiguity?
Syntactical Ambiguity: A sentence has multiple meanings due to its grammatical structure.
Example: “I will visit my mother in the garden” could mean visiting while she is in the garden or that the visit itself will take place in the garden.
what is vagueness?
Vagueness refers to a lack of precision or specificity in a word, phrase, or statement. A vague term does not provide enough detail or clear boundaries, which leads to uncertainty about its exact meaning or application. Unlike ambiguity, which has multiple distinct meanings, vagueness involves unclear boundaries or an imprecise range of meanings.
what is an example of vagueness?
“She gave him a big book.”
This is vague because “big” lacks a specific measurement, and what counts as “big” is subjective.
what are common vague terms?
Words like “soon,” “few,” “many,” “a lot,” and “rich” are often vague because they depend on interpretation or context to become meaningful.
