Fallacies Flashcards
Circular reasoning
The reasoning for your statement leads you back to your statement, leading you nowhere.
Appeal to tradition
The argument that says “that’s the way it’s always been.”
Appeal to emotion
An attempt to evoke sympathy
Appeal to force
The use of authority and force to get your way.
Appeal to ignorance
A premise claims that nothing has been proved; conclusion then makes a definite assertion.
Appeal to unqualified authority.
Source is not trustworthy
Appeal to snobbery
All the best are doing this, so you should do it too.
Appeal to biased authority
When the source has a vested interest in the conclusion.
Personal attack
Asserting that a personal flaw equates to poor reasoning.
Group fallacy
Relies on group affiliation to propel the argument
Slippery slope
An attempt to make a far-fetched connection
Faulty analogy
Creating a comparison that does not work.
Hasty generalization
Using a small sample to assert universality.
Stacking the deck
Ignoring examples that dispute your claim.
Speculation fallacy
Attempting to create a scenario that is impossible to know.
Loaded question
When the question itself assumes far too much.
Contradictory premise
When the premise makes the conclusion impossible to be right or wrong.
Fallacy of simplistic thinking
Easy solution to a complex problem.
