Logical Fallacies Flashcards
(21 cards)
What is the Fallacy of 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 important issue.
Ad Populum (Bandwagon)-
an argument that appeals to the emotions or prejudices of a certain group, despite being Logically unsounded.
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 excessively simplified an opponent’s viewpoint to argue against it more easily.
Begging the Question (Circular Reasoning):
occurs when a writer assumes that a statement under dispute is in fact true; such an argument is circular.
Sentimental Appeals
tug at an audience’s heart strings to the point of ignoring the facts, perhaps to keep the audience from disagreeing.
Equivocation (splitting hairs):
a statement that is partially correct but that purposely obscures the entire truth.
Faulty Analogy
is an inaccurate, inappropriate, or misleading comparison between two things.
Hasty Generalization
draws conclusions from very little evidence.
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
After this, therefore because of this: an argument assumes causation based on the passing of time.
Ad Ignorantiam
An appeal to ignorance: an argument that claims something is true or false because there is evidence for it.
Reductio Ad Absurdum
Reduction to the absurd: a disproof by showing that of the proposition ; or proof of a proposition by showing 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:
(argumentum ad passiones) 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:
(argumentum ad verecundiam) 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.
