Basic Flashcards
uses personal attacks rather than logic,
-criticizes another point of view based on non-relevant traits of the person who holds it
ad hominem fallacy
“MacDougal roots for a British football team. Clearly he’s unfit to be a police chief in Ireland.”
ad hominem fallacy
attacks a different subject rather than the topic being discussed — often a more extreme version of the counter argument. The purpose of this misdirection is to make one’s position look stronger than it actually is
Straw Man
Wife: I’d rather have a dog than a cat.
Husband: Why do you hate cats?
Straw Man
argues that a proposition must be true because it has not been proven false or there is no evidence against it
shifts the need for proof away from the person making a claim.
appeal to ignorance
“We have no evidence that the Illuminati ever existed. They must have been so clever that they destroyed all the evidence.”
Appeal to Ignorance
presents limited options — typically by focusing on two extremes — when in fact more possibilities exist
False Dilemma/False Dichotomy
“America: Love it or leave it”
False Dilemma/False Dichotomy
“Either we go to war or we appear weak.”
False Dilemma/False Dichotomy
assumes that a certain course of action will necessarily lead to a chain of future events. The slippery slope fallacy takes a benign premise or starting point and suggests that it will lead to unlikely or ridiculous outcomes with no supporting evidence.
Slippery Slope
“If you miss practice, it means you were probably goofing off. People who goof off drop out of school and end up penniless.”
Slippery Slope
when a person’s argument repeats what they already assumed before without arriving at a new conclusion
only appears to be an argument when in fact it’s just restating one’s assumptions
Circular Argument
“Smoking pot is against the law because it’s wrong; I know it’s wrong because it is against the law.”
Circular Argument
Eighteen-year-olds have the right to vote because it’s legal for them to vote.
Circular Argument
Claim based on a few examples rather than substantial proof
might be true in one case, but that doesn’t mean it’s always true.
When I was young, my dad and brothers never helped with the household chores. All men are useless in the house.
Hasty Generalization
