3: Fallacies Flashcards
What is a “logical” falacy?
Arguments containing mistakes in reasoning.
Arguments with premises that are logically irrelevant to the conclusion.
Fallacies of Relevance
Arguments that, although seemingly relevant to the conclusion, fail to provide sufficient evidence for the conclusion.
Fallacies of Insufficient Evidence
What dictates the relevance of a statement?
If it provides some reason that supports the truth or falsehood of the subsequent premise or statement.
Relevance that provides reason that the following statement may be true
Positively Relevant
Relevance that negates the idea of of the subsequent statement by proving it to be false
Negatively Relevant
Statements that provide no reason to support the truth or falsehood of another statement.
Logically Irrelevant
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.]
Argumentum ad Hominem
or Personal Attack
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.]
Attacking the Motive
Rejection of another person’s argument or claim because that person exhibits hypocrisy.
Look Who’s Talking
or Tu Quoque
Attempts to justify a wrongful act by claiming that some other acts are just as bad or worse.
Two Wrongs Make a Right
Statements threatening harm to other people regardless of the threat’s irrelevancy to the conclusion of the main claim/argument.
Scare Tactics
A powerful motivator causing people to think irrationally.
Fear
Attempts to evoke feelings of pity and/or compassion which were not relevant to the truth of the claim or argument.
Argumentum ad Misericordiam
or Appeal to Pity
Appeals to the desire to be popular, accepted, or valued to the point of rejecting logical reasons or evidences.
Argumentum ad Populum
or Bandwagon
Misrepresentation of another person’s position to make an attack.
Argues with a distorted claim of the truth.
Straw Man
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.
Red Herring
Use of “keywords” in arguments in two or more different senses with attempts to conclude into a “logical” assumption.
Equivocation
Use of the premise as a reason for the same argument one is trying to prove.
Arguing in circles.
Begging the Question
Citing an untrustworthy witness or authority.
Argumentum ad Vericundiam
Inappropriate Appeal to Authority
Appeal to force (or threats of force) to bring about acceptance of a conclusion.
Announces that every effort for reason has to end.
Argumentum ad Baculum
Appeal to Power
Something is true because no one has proven it false or vice versa.
Argumentum at Ignorantiam
Appeal to Ignorance
Posing a false choice or option.
Either/or, If/then
Illusion of giving a choice.
False Alternatives
Question containing an unfair or unwarranted presupposition.
[Multiple statements/questions will be packed inside a premise, resulting for a biased conclusion to an argument.]
Loaded Question
