3: Fallacies

Question 1

What is a “logical” falacy?

Answer 1

Arguments containing mistakes in reasoning.

Question 2

Arguments with premises that are logically irrelevant to the conclusion.

Answer 2

Fallacies of Relevance

Question 3

Arguments that, although seemingly relevant to the conclusion, fail to provide sufficient evidence for the conclusion.

Answer 3

Fallacies of Insufficient Evidence

Question 4

What dictates the relevance of a statement?

Answer 4

If it provides some reason that supports the truth or falsehood of the subsequent premise or statement.

Question 5

Relevance that provides reason that the following statement may be true

Answer 5

Positively Relevant

Question 6

Relevance that negates the idea of of the subsequent statement by proving it to be false

Answer 6

Negatively Relevant

Question 7

Statements that provide no reason to support the truth or falsehood of another statement.

Answer 7

Logically Irrelevant

Question 8

Fallacy that rejects the argument or claim by attacking the person’s character rather than examining the worth of the claim itself.

[X is a bad person, therefore x’s argument is bad.]

Answer 8

Argumentum ad Hominem

or Personal Attack

Question 9

Criticizing a person’s motivation for their arguments/claims rather than examining the worth of the claim itself.

[X has bias/questionable motives, therefore x’s arguments should be rejected.]

Answer 9

Attacking the Motive

Question 10

Rejection of another person’s argument or claim because that person exhibits hypocrisy.

Answer 10

Look Who’s Talking

or Tu Quoque

Question 11

Attempts to justify a wrongful act by claiming that some other acts are just as bad or worse.

Answer 11

Two Wrongs Make a Right

Question 12

Statements threatening harm to other people regardless of the threat’s irrelevancy to the conclusion of the main claim/argument.

Answer 12

Scare Tactics

Question 13

A powerful motivator causing people to think irrationally.

Answer 13

Fear

Question 14

Attempts to evoke feelings of pity and/or compassion which were not relevant to the truth of the claim or argument.

Answer 14

Argumentum ad Misericordiam

or Appeal to Pity

Question 15

Appeals to the desire to be popular, accepted, or valued to the point of rejecting logical reasons or evidences.

Answer 15

Argumentum ad Populum

or Bandwagon

Question 16

Misrepresentation of another person’s position to make an attack.
Argues with a distorted claim of the truth.

Answer 16

Straw Man

Question 17

Attempts to sidetrack the audience by raising an irrelevant issue, creating an illusion that the initial issue had been settled by the irrelevant diversion.

Diversion to the original issue being discussed.

Answer 17

Red Herring

Question 18

Use of “keywords” in arguments in two or more different senses with attempts to conclude into a “logical” assumption.

Answer 18

Equivocation

Question 19

Use of the premise as a reason for the same argument one is trying to prove.
Arguing in circles.

Answer 19

Begging the Question

Question 20

Citing an untrustworthy witness or authority.

Answer 20

Argumentum ad Vericundiam

Inappropriate Appeal to Authority

Question 21

Appeal to force (or threats of force) to bring about acceptance of a conclusion.
Announces that every effort for reason has to end.

Answer 21

Argumentum ad Baculum

Appeal to Power

Question 22

Something is true because no one has proven it false or vice versa.

Answer 22

Argumentum at Ignorantiam

Appeal to Ignorance

Question 23

Posing a false choice or option.
Either/or, If/then
Illusion of giving a choice.

Answer 23

False Alternatives

Question 24

Question containing an unfair or unwarranted presupposition.
[Multiple statements/questions will be packed inside a premise, resulting for a biased conclusion to an argument.]

Answer 24

Loaded Question

Question 25

Claims that one things is the cause of something else without sufficient evidence.

Answer 25

False Cause

Post Hoc

Question 26

Drawing a general conclusion from a sample that is biased or too small.

Answer 26

Hasty Generalization

Question 27

Claims that a seemingly harmless action will lead to disastrous outcomes.

Answer 27

Slippery Slope

Question 28

Comparison of things that aren’t really comparable

Answer 28

Weak Analogy

Question 29

Asserting of inconsistent or contradicting claims.

Answer 29

Inconsistency

Question 30

An argument is true for the whole, from a fact that it is true for some part of the whole.

Answer 30

Composition

Question 31

Seemingly logical reason that something true of a thing must also be true to all of its parts.
Keyword: All

Answer 31

Division