Flashcards
(21 cards)
Argumentum ad Hominem
arguments attack a person’s character rather than reasoning through the issues.
Red Herring
attempts to distract by shifting attention away from an important issue.
Ad Populum (Bandwagon)
an argument that appeals to the emotions or tregadises of a certain group, despite being logically unsound.
Ad Misericordiam
an argument that appeals to pity.
Non-Sequitur
This fallacy draws conclusions from premises that do not necessarily apply. .
False Dichotomy
The either/ or fallacy that makes the assumption that there are only two alternatives.
Straw Person
arguments to excessively simplify an opponent’s viewpoint to argue against it more easily.
Begging the Question (Circular Reasoning)
occurs when a writer assumes that a writer is in fact true; such an argument is circular. .
Sentimental Appeals
tug at an audience’s part strings to the point of ignoring the facts, perhaps to keep the audience from disagreeing with the writer.
Equivocation (splitting hairs)
a statement that is partially correct but that purposely incurs the entire truth.
Faulty Analogy
is an inaccurate, inappropriate, or misleading comparison between two things.
Hasty Generalization
draws conclusions from scantie evidence
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
an argument assumes causation based on the passing of time.
Ad Ignorantiam
an argument that claims something is true or false because there is no evidence to prove otherwise.
Reductio Ad Absurdum
Reduction to the absurd: a disproof by showing that consequences of the proposition are absurd; or proof of a proposition by showing that its negation leads to a contradiction
Slippery Slope
when someone makes a claim about a series of events that would lead to one major event, usually a bad event.
Appeal to Emotion
a logical fallacy characterized by the manipulation of the recipient’s emotions in order to win an argument, especially in the absence of factual evidence.
Guilt by Association
occurs when someone connects an opponent to a demonized group of people or to a bad person in order to discredit his or her argument.
Appeal to Nature
because something is ‘natural’ it is therefore valid, justified, inevitable, good or ideal.
False Causation
occurs when the link between premises and conclusion depends on some imagined causal connection that probably does not exist.
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.
