fallacies 5 Flashcards
small sample
drawing conclusions about a population on the basis of a sample that is too small to be a reliable measure of that population.
unrepresentative sample
drawing conclusions about a population on the basis of a sample that is too small to be a reliable measure of that population
unrepresentative sample
reasoning from a sample that is not representative (typical) of the population from which it is drawn
questionable cause
labeling A as the cause of B on evidence that is insufficent, negative, unrepresentative, or in serious conflict with well-established high-level theories
questionable analogy
drawing an analogical conclusion when the cases compared are not relevantly alike.
questionable statistics
employing statistics that are questionable without further support.
questionable use of statistics
perfectly good statistics also sometimes are a problem–for two reasons. The first is the inability of so many people to understand the significance of this statistic or that, made worse by the natural tendency in all of use to see statistics as favoring conclusions we already have draw. the 2nd is the ability of charlatans to bamboozle the rest of us via cleverly employed statistics.
polls
although polls are an important source of information, they need to be dealt with cautiously. Polls can be misleading 1. because of the way in which questions are worded–often deliberately to obtain desired stats. 2. because they ask the wrong questions. 3. because respondents don’t want to appear ignorant, immoral, odd, or prejudice. 4. because they are based on a sample that is too small or unrepresentative.
false charge of fallacy
erroneously accusing others of fallacious reasoning.
quibbling
over critical of others
hasty conclusion
accepting an argument on the basis of relevant but insufficient information or evidence. Ex; sherlock holmes’s conclusion that Watson is an army man that just got back from Afghanistan