3.3 Terms

Question 1

appeal to unqualified authority

Answer 1

a variety of the argument from authority and occurs when the cited authority or witness lacks credibility.

Question 2

appeal to ignorance

Answer 2

When the premises of an argument state that nothing has been proved one way or the other about something, and the conclusion then makes a definite assertion about that thing, the argument commits an appeal to ignorance

Question 3

Hasty generalization

Answer 3

a fallacy that affects inductive generalizations. Proceeds from the particular to the whole. The fallacy occurs when there is a reasonable likelihood that the sample is not representative of the group. Such a likelihood may arise if the sample is either too small or not randomly selected

Question 4

false cause

Answer 4

occurs whenever the link between premises and conclusion depends on some imagined causal connection that probably does not exist

Question 5

post hoc ergo propter hoc

Answer 5

after this, therefore on account of this”). This variety of the fallacy pre- supposes that just because one event precedes another event, the first event causes the second

Question 6

non causa pro causa

Answer 6

not the cause for the cause”). This variety is committed when what is taken to be the cause of something is not really the cause at all and the mistake is based on something other than mere temporal succession.

Question 7

oversimplified cause

Answer 7

A third variety of the false cause fallacy, and one that is probably committed more often than either of the others in their pure form, is oversimplified cause. This variety occurs when a multitude of causes is responsible for a certain effect but the arguer selects just one of these causes and represents it as if it were the sole cause (Hurley 153).

Question 8

the gambler’s fallacy

Answer 8

The last variety of false cause we will consider is called the gambler’s fallacy. This fallacy is committed whenever the conclusion of an argument depends on the supposition that independent events in a game of chance are causally related.

Question 9

slippery slope

Answer 9

a variety of the false cause fallacy. It occurs when the conclusion of an argument rests on an alleged chain reaction and there is not sufficient reason to think that the chain reaction will actually take place

Question 10

weak analogy

Answer 10

committed when the analogy is not strong enough to support the conclusion that is drawn.