Fallacies Flashcards
Bandwagon / Argumentum Ad Populum
An argument built around the belief that somehting is true (or false) because a lot of people believe it to be so. Prioritizes acceptance over justice.
Appeal to Tradition / Argumentum Ad Antiquitatem
Assuming tht old and established practies or beliefs are the best because is it already established
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hox / Faulty Causality
A occured. Then B occured. Therefore, A must have caused B (and so A could cause B in the future).
“After this, therefore becasue of this…”
Slippery Slope / Camel’s Nose
An argument that proposes the one first step, change, decision, etc., will lead to future extreme and/or horrible consequences - even though there is not credible eviendece to support this conclusion.
First A, then B, then C, and the next thing you know - Z!
Ad Hominem
Against the Person
attacking the person (typically exploiting irrelevent personal flaws) who is advancing an argument rather than the argument the person makes.
Person A claims X. Person B claims A is stupid. Therefore, X is untrue.
Hasty Generalization
making an assumption about a group of people or drawing a conclusion based on information about or experiences with only a limited, inadequate sample. Most stereotypes.
“Boys have terrible handwriting”
False Dichotomy
Either/Or Reasoning
the artificial reduction of all the choices available to only two. Polarization.
Fallacy of Omniscience / Absolute Statements
making an argument that would only be possible with the power of omniscience (knowing all)
Fallacies of False Equivalence
Comparing two things that are totally different, and it would be unfair to compare them.
Comparing apples to oranges.
Both-sides-ism / Bothsidesing
someone simultaneously condemns and excuses both sides in. dispute by claiming that both sides are (equally) guilty of inappropriete behavior or bad reasoning, when in truth, they are not equivalent.
Fallacy of Moral Equivalence
arguing that a problem, decision, misdeed, etc. is similar to another problem that is far worse. Comparing one thing to another thing that is way worse, drawing an unfair comparison.
Weak/False Analogy
An analogy shows how two different things may be similar, but in this fallacy the analogy is irrelevent to the original argument.
Straw Man Fallacy
ingnoring a person’s actual argument and instead, choosing an easier task - namely, substituing a distorted, exaggerated, or misrepresented version of the person’s position.
making the target easier to be able to refute it easier.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
making the argument that we should follow through on an endeavor beacuse we have already invested time, effort, or money into it.
Appeal to False/Weak Authority
using an alleged authority as evidence to advance an arugment when the person or souce is not really a credible authority.
Confirmation Bias
lending extra weight to favor information that confirms our own beliefs and preconceptions, regardless of whether the information is true or credible.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
we often wrongly overestimate our knowledge or ability in a specific area for which we lack experience.
Illusory Truth Effect
describes how when we hear the same false information repeated again and again, we often come to belive it is true.
Groupthink
when a group of people desire harmony or conformity, and therefore make an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome.
Cognitive Dissonance
when we avoid facts and information because htye conflict with our beliefs and make us feel uncomfortable.
Proportionality Bias
our tendaency to assume that big events have big causes
Diana died bc of the government rather than a crash with a drunk driver
Anchoring
the tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information offered.
Backfire Effect
When people react to disconfirming evidence by strengthening their beliefs
Declinism
The belief that a society or institution is in decline (“things we’re better in the old days”)
