Fallacies

Question 1

Red Herring

Answer 1

speaker skips to a new and irrelevant topic in order to avoid the topic of discussion in an attempt to distract or confuse the audience

Question 2

Ad hominem

Answer 2

switching the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker

Question 3

Faulty analogy

Answer 3

an analogy in which the things being compared aren’t equal or comparable; saying if two things are alike in one regard, they must be alike in other ways

Question 4

Ad populum (bandwagon

Answer 4

based on the assumption that something must be good and/or true because it’s in accordance with the beliefs/actions of the majority

Question 4

Straw man

Answer 4

-speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an opponent’s viewpoint (sets up a different issue that’s easier to argue)

Question 4

Slippery slope

Answer 4

-the fallacy of dire consequences; it assumes that one choice will necessarily lead to a cascading series of bad choices/outcomes

Question 5

Post hoc ergo/”false cause”

Answer 5

link between the premises and conclusion depends on some imagine casual connection that probably does not exist (correlation does not imply causation; coincidences)

Question 6

Appeal to ignorance

Answer 6

a claim that something must be true because it hasn’t been proven false, can also be a claim that something must be false because it hasn’t been proven true

Question 6

either/or

Answer 6

speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices (ultimatum)

Question 6

Reductio ad absurdum

Answer 6

reducing an argument to absurdity, involves characterizing an opposing argument in such a way that it seems to be ridiculous, or the consequences of the position seem ridiculous

Question 6

Hasty generalization

Answer 6

not enough evidence to support a particular conclusion (stereotypes)

Question 6

Circular reasoning

Answer 6

epeating the claim as a way to provide evidence, resulting in no evidence at all (comes back to beginning without having proven anything)

Question 7

Appeal to flattery

Answer 7

flattering the reader or audience to make yourself and your argument more appealing

Question 8

Appeal to pity-(pathos)

Answer 8

someone tries to win support for an argument or idea by exploiting one’s opponent’s feelings of pity or guilt