Logical Fallacy Flashcards
(28 cards)
Faulty Analogy
A false analogy is a type of informal fallacy. It states that since Item A and Item B both have Quality X in common, they must also have Quality Y in common.
Sentimental Appeal
The sentimental fallacy, or, appeal to emotion is an attempt to assign emotion to an argument. Aims to provoke certain feelings from an audience that may sway their beliefs towards a certain topic. Can sway without any real evidence to prove validity = logical fallacy.
Begging the Question
Begging the question is a logical fallacy in which an argument’s premises assume the truth of the conclusion. Arguments that beg the question work to obscure the actual points in controversy and can be looked at as a form of circular reasoning.
Red Herring
irrelevant information is presented alongside relevant information, distracting attention from that relevant information
Either or Choice
Sometimes called the “either-or” fallacy, a false dilemma is a logical fallacy that presents only two options or sides when there are many options or sides.
Bandwagon
The bandwagon fallacy is also sometimes called the appeal to common belief or appeal to the masses because it’s all about getting people to do or think something because “everyone else is doing it” or “everything else thinks this.”
Appeal to Tradition
The argument supports a position by appealing to long-standing or traditional opinion, as if the past itself were a kind of authority.
Non-Sequitar
A non sequitur is a conclusion or reply that doesn’t follow logically from the previous statement.
Dogmatism
the tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others.
Oversimplication
The fallacy of oversimplification occurs when we attempt to make something appear simpler by ignoring certain relevant complexities.
Ad Populum
The fallacy ad populum is similar to the ad verecundiam, the difference being that the source appealed to is popular opinion, or common knowledge, rather than a specified authority.
Equivocation
the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication.
Moral Equivalence
It is usually used to suggest a moral or ethical hierarchy for two sides in a conflict – that one is better or worse than the other.
Appeal to False Authority
a fallacious argument that relies on the statements of a false authority figure, who is framed as a credible authority on the topic being discussed.
Hasty Generalization
making a claim based on evidence that it just too small. Essentially, you can’t make a claim and say that something is true if you have only an example or two as evidence.
Scare Tactics
The scare tactics fallacy, also known as an appeal to fear, is argumentation that uses fear, such as the fear caused by a seemingly reasonable potential adverse outcome, to coerce others into accepting the argument
Ad-Hominem
a direct attack on the person
Slippery Slope
The slippery slope fallacy works by creating an assumed relationship between two or more events.
Cause/Effect (Post hoc ego)
Post hoc is a logical fallacy in which one event seems to be the cause of a later event because it occurred earlier.
Guilt by Association
A guilt by association fallacy 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. The idea is that the person is “guilty” by simply being similar to this “bad” group and, therefore, should not be listened to about anything.
Straw Man
This fallacy occurs when, in attempting to refute another person’s argument, you address only a weak or distorted version of it. Straw person is the misrepresentation of an opponent’s position or a competitor’s product to tout one’s own argument or product as superior.
Slanting
The slanting fallacy occurs when someone deliberately biases something in their favor, e.g. they omit crucial data, deemphasize negative facts, or overemphasize the positive side of something in order to make the evidence for their argument look better
Circular Reasoning
The fallacy of circular argument, known as petitio principii (“begging the question”), occurs when the premises presume, openly or covertly, the very conclusion that is to be demonstrated
Appeal to Ignorance
Appeal to ignorance is also known as argument from ignorance, in which ignorance represents “a lack of contrary evidence” and becomes “a fallacy in informal logic.” It asserts that a proposition is true because it has not yet been proven as false.
