Fallacies Flashcards
-attacking the person rather than the issue at hand
EX : “Bill Clinton wants television programs to show ratings in order to protect children from adult material, surprisingly moral position for an adulterer.
Ad Hominem
an argument stating that something is true because it has never been proven to be false
EX : “If I was adopted, then I would know by now. But no one has ever told me that I was adopted, so I guess I wasn’t.”
Argument from Ignorance
The argument that claims “everyone is doing it” so it is an okay thing to do.
EX : “Since Harvard, Stanford, and Berkeley have all added a multi cultural component to their graduations requirement, Notre Dame should get with the future.”
Bandwagon
Any form of argument in which the conclusion occurs as one of the premises.
“I want a new toy.”
“Why?”
“Because I want it.”
Begging the Question
believing that an action unrelated to an effect caused the effect
EX : A black cat crossed Joe’s path yesterday and he died last night. Must’ve been from all that bad luck
Cause and Effect
An argument which uses an inappropriate metaphor
EX : His treatment of the illegal immigrants is like what Hitler did with the Jews
False Analogy
The suggestion is made that there are only two solutions to a problem
EX : either eat your vegetables or starve
False Dilemma
when one statement is not logically connected with the other
EX : if you really loved me then you would buy me the brand-new car I want!
Non Sequitur
person is introduced with language that suggests that he or she is unreliable before he or she is given a chance to speak
EX : “Go ahead and listen to that dirty cheater..”
Poisoning the Well
and argument that distracts readers from the real issues of the case
EX: “smoking weed isn’t as harmful as some things. I’d rather get in the car with a weed smoker rather than an alchoholc.”
Red Herring
argues that one thing inevitably lead to another; exaggerated
EX : She’ll fail a test, She’ll drop out of school, become a prostituite, get addicted to drugs, then die.
Slippery Slope
A person defines an opponents position in such a way that The position is easy to attack
EX: “How can you say you oppose higher taxes when poverty-stricken school children cannot afford to buy lunches?”
Strawman
