Chapter 15 Thinking Amd Speaking Critically Flashcards
Ad hominem
Attacking the person rather than the soundness of his or her argument.
Arguing in a circle (begging the question)
An argument that proves nothing because the claim to be proved is used to prove itself.
Backing
Evidence that directly supports a warrant.
Critical thinking
The process of making sound inferences based on accurate evidence and valid reasoning.
Distorted evidence
Significant omissions or changes in evidence that alter its original intent.
Fallacy
An argument in which the reasons advanced for a claim fail to warrant acceptance of the claim.
False analogy
The comparison of two different things that are not really comparable.
False dilemma
A generalization that implies there are only two choices when there are more than two.
Grounds
The evidence a speaker offers in support of a claim.
Halo effect
The assumption that just because you like or respect a person, whatever he or she says must be true.
Hasty generalization
A fallacy that occurs when there are too few instances to support a generalization or the instances are unrepresentative of the generalization.
Hyperbole
An exaggeration of a claim.
Loaded language
Language that triggers strong emotional and negative responses.
Misleading statistics
Statistics that are incomplete or based on faulty data.
Mistaking correlation for cause
The assumption that because one thing is a sign of another, they are causally related.
Non sequitur
An argument that does not logically follow from its premises.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
(“After the fact, therefore because of the fact”) The assumption that because one event preceded another, the first event must be the cause of the second event.
Pseudo-reasoning
An argument that appears sound at first glance but contains a fallacy of reasoning that renders it unsound.
Qualifier
An indication of the level of probability of a claim.
Rebuttal
An exception to or a refutation of an argument.
Red herring (smoke screen)
An irrelevant issue introduced into a controversy to divert attention from the real issues.
Slippery slope
The assumption that just because one event occurs, it will automatically lead to a series of undesirable events even though there is no relationship between the action and the projected events.
Stereotyping
The assumption that what is considered to be true of a larger class is necessarily true of particular members of that class.
Straw person
An argument made in refutation that misstates the argument being refuted. Rather than refuting the real argument, the other side constructs a person of straw, which is easy to knock down.
