Fallacies

Question 0

Accident

Answer 0

This fallacy occurs when one applies a generalisation to an individual case that it does not properly govern. This occurs in two different ways:

i. ) when it is assumed what is correct in normal circumstances remains correct in an abnormal situation.
ii. ) When it is assumed that what is acceptable in unusual circumstances remains so when normal circumstances apply.

Question 1

Strawman

Answer 1

This fallacy occurs when someone misrepresents an opponent’s arguments and thus attacks the wrong issue.

Question 4

Complex Question

Answer 4

This fallacy occurs when a question is asked in such a way as to presuppose the truth of some assumption buried in the question.

a) Loaded questions - here the wording of the question limits the responder to an answer of yes or no hence admitting or denying the assumption in the question.
b) Loaded question - here the nature if the question is such that the response of the person provides them with only limited choice in the way they can respond.

Question 6

The Fallacy of Biased Sampling

Answer 6

This occurs when the evidence (or sample) is not representative of the whole population but it is used as it is.

This fallacy occurs when a conclusion is reached about a group on the basis of a survey, which is unrepresentative of the population.

Question 7

Division

Answer 7

This fallacy involves a claim that what is true about a collection or group is therefore true about each element or member of that group.

Question 8

Appeal to Ignorance (Ad Ignoratium)

Answer 8

When an arguer claims that a conclusion is true solely because it has not been proven false, rather than providing evidence for their claim.

Question 10

Bald-Hairy Fallacy

Answer 10

This fallacy involves the assumption that because there is a vague borderline between two things, that there is in fact no difference between them.

Question 11

Fallacy of Central Tendency

Answer 11

This fallacy occurs when someone argues from an average characteristic to an individual characteristic or vice versa.

Question 12

Monte Carlo Fallacy (Gambler’s Fallacy)

Answer 12

This fallacy occurs when a person treats an independent event as if it were a dependent event.

Question 14

Fallacy of Stereotyping

Answer 14

This fallacy occurs when a common stereotype is used as a justification for a claim, without evidence that the stereotype applies.

Question 15

False Cause (Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc)

Answer 15

This fallacy occurs when one treats as the cause of a thing what is not really the cause of that thing, or more generally, when one blunders in reasoning that is based upon two events affecting each other. It is often seen when it is assumed that just because A precedes B then A must definitely have caused B.

Question 18

Slippery Slope

Answer 18

This fallacy occurs when an argument is claimed to appeal to a chain of events which are claimed to lead from acceptance of an opponent’s proposal to some undesirable consequences.

Question 19

Circular/Begging the Question (Peititio Principii)

Answer 19

This fallacy occurs when an arguer assumes to be true what the are actually seeking to prove is true. It occurs when somehow the conclusion has already been assumed in the premises.

Question 20

Forgetful Induction

Answer 20

This occurs when important or relevant information is overlooked

Question 21

Black and White Thinking

Answer 21

This is a form of strawman argument and is committed by someone who deliberately assumes an exaggerated position for his opponent.

Question 22

The fallacy of faulty analogy

Answer 22

This fallacy occurs when an analogy is used, but there is a relevant weakness in the two things being compared.

Question 24

Argument By Transference

Answer 24

This is someone transfers what they feel about, or themselves, to another object or person.

Question 27

Appeal to Popular Opinion (Ad Populum)

Answer 27

This fallacy occurs when it is concluded that solely because something has popular appeal or acceptance, that the point at argument should therefore be accepted. Alternatively, that as something has always been done (traditional) it is therefore right.

Question 29

Attacking the Person (Ad Hominem)

Answer 29

An argument in which the attack shifts from the point at issue to the character of the opponent is fallacious when the character of the opponent is not relevant to the point at issue.

Abusive Ad Hominem (Poisoning the Well) - This fallacy occurs when an arguer seeks to discredit the opponent by making a personal attack, rather than addressing the point at issue.

Circumstantial Ad Hominem (Genetic Fallacy) - This occurs where the speaker produces reasons why his opponent would be expected to hold certain views rather than arguing the case put forward. Here the attack is indirect suggesting that the hold their views chiefly because of the special circumstances or interests.

Question 32

Equivocation

Answer 32

This occurs when a word or phrase with multiple meanings is used as if it only has one.

Question 33

The fallacy of accent

Answer 33

This occurs when emphasis is put on certain words to distort meaning.

Question 34

Appeal to Nature

Answer 34

When a claim is made stating that as something is natural it must therefore be better.

Question 35

Fallacy of out of context

Answer 35

This occurs when words are taken out of their context to give a different meaning from the one intended.

Question 36

Fallacy of relative term

Answer 36

This happens when a relative term (eg. small, rich, etc.) is used as if it is absolute.

Question 37

Amphiboly (sentence ambiguity)

Answer 37

Ambiguity occurs with this fallacy, because of sentence structure. The way the sentence has been written makes the entire sentence have two meanings, when it is only mean to have one.

Question 38

Appeal to force (Ad Baculum)

Answer 38

This fallacy occurs when appeal is made to force, threat, or to undesirable consequences in order to coerce the acceptance of a conclusion. It is argued that a certain viewpoint is correct because otherwise some deliberate harm will be done to the other person.

Question 39

Slothful Induction (Scapegoat Argument)

Answer 39

This fallacy occurs when someone blames another person who is not to blame - usually because they are at fault themselves.

Question 42

You too Fallacy (Tu Quoque)

Answer 42

In this fallacy an appeal is made to the hypocrisy of the opponent for saying one thing and for doing something different. This happen when in trying to show that they are not at fault, a speaker points out that their opponent is as bad as they are.

Question 43

Appeal to Association

Answer 43

This fallacy occurs when a person condemns or approves something, or a person, because of what/they are associated with.

Question 44

Non Sequitur (It Does Not Follow)

Answer 44

Any argument where the conclusion does not follow from the premises is a non sequitur.

Question 45

Appeal to Relativity

Answer 45

This occurs when something is compared to another situation when the comparison is irrelevant.

Question 46

Illicit Appeal to Feelings

Answer 46

This occurs when an appeal to emotions is made, and it is irrelevant.

Question 49

Appeals to Wrong Authority (Ad Verecundiam)

Answer 49

This fallacy occurs when a person appeals to the opinion of some respected or famous individual/group to when that person’s authority is outside the point at issue.

Question 50

Appeal to Pity (Ad Misercordiam)

Answer 50

This fallacy is committed when pity (or similar sentiment) is appealed to for the sake of getting a conclusion accepted, where such sentiments are irrelevant. The conclusion is concerned more correctly with a matter of fact.

Question 54

Misuse of the law of averages

Answer 54

This fallacy occurs when a person treats a dependent event as if it were and independent event, that is, when mathematics is applied to events that are not mathematical.

Question 55

Fallacy of Hasty Generalization

Answer 55

This occurs when a generalisation is based on too little evidence

Question 58

Composition

Answer 58

This fallacy occurs when a claim that what is true about each element or member of a group will therefor be true about the group as a whole.