6. Logical fallacies

Question 1

Definition:

Answer 1

A flaw in reasoning, tricks or illusions of thought that are often very sneakily used by many people to fool others

• Formal: not valid reasoning, but usually accepted by its similarity to valid forms
• Informal: used to convince, using faulty or misleading reasoning, but do not necessarily invalidate the conclusion

Question 2

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Equivocation fallacy

Answer 2

use of one word to mean two or more meanings, creating semantic ambiguity

Question 3

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Amphiboly fallacy

Answer 3

exploiting syntactic ambiguity

Question 4

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Composition and division fallacies

Answer 4

attributing a property of the whole to one of it’s specific parts, or vice versa

Question 5

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Begging the question fallacy

Answer 5

arguing in a circle “assuming the conclusion”

eg: The Bible is the word of God because it says so in the Bible

Question 6

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Complex question fallacy

Answer 6

asking a question with an unfair assumption or accusation within it

Question 7

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Answer 7

“after this, therefore, because of this”

Y happened after X, therefore Y was caused by X

Question 8

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Ignoratio elenchi fallacy

Answer 8

“Irrelevent conclusion”

making an irrelevant argument that is supposed to settle the argument in question

Question 9

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Ad verecundiam fallacy

Answer 9

appeal to authority

Question 10

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Ad populum fallacy

Answer 10

(bandwagon argument)
appeal to popularity

Question 11

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Ad baculum fallacy

Answer 11

appeal to threat

Question 12

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Ad misericordiam fallacy

Answer 12

appeal to sympathy

Question 13

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Ad hominem fallacy

Answer 13

attack the person instead of the topic being discussed

Question 14

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Faulty analogy fallacy

Answer 14

if A and B are alike in one aspect, then they must be alike in other things

Question 15

The core fallacies (I. Copi, 1961):
Slippery Slope fallacy

Answer 15

belief that a small action/idea can lead to a worse event and so on