Fallacies

Question 1

What is a fallacy?

Answer 1

An argument of a type that is generally recognised to be bad.

Question 2

What is a formal (structural) fallacy?

Answer 2

A fallacy that has a defined structural fault e.g affirming the consequent.

Question 3

What is a content fallacy?

Answer 3

A fallacy that relies on dubious premises.

Question 4

What do fallacies solely apply to?

Answer 4

To arguments in their standard form, with all missing or assumed premises made explicit.

Question 5

What is a good website about fallacies?

Answer 5

www.fallacyfiles.org

Question 6

What is the difference between Formal (structural) and Informal (content) fallacies?

Answer 6

The former violate the logic condition and the latter violate the truth condition.

Question 7

What is the first rule for argumentation?

Answer 7

You can’t argue with someone who is intentionally trying to mislead or deceive you.

Question 8

What is the second rule for argumentation?

Answer 8

You can’t argue with someone who is unwilling to reason well.

E.g. people invested into some cause.

Question 9

What is the third rule for argumentation?

Answer 9

You can’t argue with someone who is unable to reason well.

E.g. children or less cable people.

Question 10

What is the fourth rule for argumentation?

Answer 10

An argument has to give reasons for believing or accepting the conclusion.

Question 11

What is Ad Hominem?

Answer 11

The fallacy of rejecting a claim based on our judgement of the person and not the merits of the claim.

Question 12

In which two major ways can an argument be bad?

Answer 12

By violating the truth condition (bad premises), or by violating the logic condition (conclusion doesn’t follow from the premises).

Question 13

Is Ad Hominem always a fallacy?

Answer 13

No; because in some cases the character of the person is relevant in assessing the probability of a claim.
e.g. criminal trial.

Question 14

What is Abusive Ad Hominem?

Answer 14

It’s when the character of the person is attacked.

Question 15

What is Gilt By Association Ad Hominem?

Answer 15

When we judge the persons arguments based on her/his associations.

Question 16

What is a tu quoque Ad Hominem?

Answer 16

Is a fallacy in which the argument of someone is judged in light of what that person did contrary with what they claim (hypocrisy).

Question 17

What is an Appeal to Popular Belief (or Practice) ad Hominem?

Answer 17

A fallacy perpetrated by using premises that rely on common belief or practice for the argument to be true.

Question 18

What is the Appeal To Authority fallacy?

Answer 18

When an argument rests on the authority of a source outside the argument itself i.e. because such-and-such says so.

Question 19

Is all appeal to authority fallacious?

Answer 19

No, when it clearly comes fim a source of almost unquestionable authority it is probably valid.

Question 20

What type of premise does the Appeal To Authority stance rely on?

Answer 20

(Almost) anything that A days about S is (probably) true.

Where A is the authority and S is the subject matter in question.

Question 21

What is the False Dilema fallacy?

Answer 21

A fallacy in which you are given options that don’t include all the real options.

AKA False Dichotomy

Question 22

Of the two types of fallacy, which category does False Dichotomy fall into?

Answer 22

Content fallacy

Question 23

Give the argument form of a disjunctive syllogism that is always valid.

Answer 23

1. A or B
2. not-A
3. Therefore, B

Question 24

Give the argument form of a disjunctive syllogism that is invalid for a inclusive disjunction.

Answer 24

1. A or B
2. A
3. Therefore, not-B

Question 25

Give the argument form of a disjunctive syllogism that is valid for exclusive disjunctions.

Answer 25

1. A or B 2. A 3. Therefore, not-B

Question 26

What is the Slippery Slope fallacy?

Answer 26

Is when an Hypothetical Syllogism suffers from plausibility issues.

Question 27

What should be noted about Hypothetical Syllogisms?

Answer 27

1. A chain of conditionals is only as strong as its weakest link; 2. Weakness in the links compound ie the strength of the whole chain is usually much weaker than the weakest individual link.

Question 28

What is the Straw Figure fallacy?

Answer 28

It involves criticising a distorted, exaggerated or otherwise misrepresented version of an argument and claiming to have refuted the original argument.

Question 29

What is a Red Herring fallacy?

Answer 29

A distracting argument that diverts attention from the main argument.

Question 30

What is the difference between the Red Herring and the Straw Figure fallacies?

Answer 30

The latter distorts an argument while the former distracts from an argument.

Question 31

What is the Begging the Question (narrow sense) fallacy?

Answer 31

It is the instance of using a premise that merely asserts or restates the conclusion i.e. to assume as true what is at issue in the argument. The argument is circular. The argument is begging the question as to wether the premises are plausible.

Question 32

What is Begging the Question (broad sense)?

Answer 32

When arguments use premises that are no more plausible that the conclusion is already.

Question 33

Explain Begging the Question (broad sense) in terms of premise vs conclusion plausibility.

Answer 33

The premises must be individually more plausible that the conclusion is; i.e. Premise 1 plausibility > X Premise 2 plausibility > X Conclusion plausibility = X If this is not the case then the argument Begs the Question (in the broader sense).

Question 34

What is the relationship between Begging the Question in the narrow and broad senses?

Answer 34

Every argument that Begs the Question in the broader sense and begs the question in the narrow sense.

Question 35

What type of fallacy is Appeal to Authority?

Answer 35

A content fallacy

Question 36

What type of fallacy is a Slippery Slope?

Answer 36

It’s a content fallacy

Question 37

What type of fallacy is Begging the Question?

Answer 37

It’s a violation of the rules of rational argumentation.