Fallacies Flashcards
Example: I forgot to set my alarm and slept in. because I slept in, I was late to school. Because I was late, I missed a quiz. Because I missed a quiz, my grade was lowered. Because my grade was lowered, I failed the class. Because I failed the class my GPA dropped. Because my GPA dropped, I didn’t get accepted to Harvard.
I didn’t get accepted to Harvard because I forgot to set my alarm.
Insufficient Cause
In seeking to establish a cause-effect relationship, the advocate settles on A cause which by itself does not have the potency or power to produce the alleged effect
Example: the biggest reason kids are late to class at sbcc is how much time they have to spend searching for parking because of the low number of parking spaces the campus offers. If the school adds more parking spaces, kids will no longer be late to class
Multiple Causation
Asserting that there is a single cause of a problem when in fact most problems are the result of several causative agents working in concert.
Example: I wore my red shirt on Sunday and my team won! I wear my “lucky shirt” every Sunday now so my team keeps winning.
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
When an advocate claims that a cause-effect relationship exists between two phenomena simply because the two phenomena occur sequentially in time
Example: It’s been shown that those who drink one glass of wine a day live much longer than those that don’t. So anytime I can have a glass of wine, I do, because I want to live as long as I can
Substitution of Sign for Cause
Example: I left the house this morning and my roommate adam was the only one at the house. I came home later that afternoon after school, and all of my cereal was gone. It’s safe to say that Adam ate all of my cereal
Hasty Generalization
Example: My group is going to get an A on the upcoming group assignment because we are all A students in the class.
The fallacy of composition
Example: That kids eyes are so red! He’s clearly high
Equivocal Sign
Taking a sign that could be evidence of several different things and arguing without adequate evidence that the sign signifies one particular thing
Example: Going to church is a good thing to do and shows your belief in god. My neighbor Jim never ever goes to church on sunday. I’m convinced he’s not only a bad person, but doesn’t believe in god
Mystic Sign
Example: 90% of those surveyed reported that they eat a Big Mac once a week
Unnamed Base
Example: To see if playing football really does cause brain damage, we looked at the medical history of 100 former players from the Santa Barbara High School team
Inadequate Sample
Example:
Faulty sample
Example: If he has a mansion, then he is rich. He is rich, so therefore he has a mansion
OR
If I commit suicide, I will be dead.
I’m dead, therefore I committed suicide
Affirming the consequent
Example: if a team has star players, the team will win games.
The team does not have star players, so the team will not win games
Denying the Antecedent
Example:
Unstated Assumption or Faulty Enthymeme
Example: Doctor: You should take this Advil, because it will cure your headache
Patient: How do you know it will cure my headache?
Doctor: Well because its Advil of course!
Petitio Principii or “Begging the Question”
