Fallacies

Question 1

Non sequitur

Answer 1

“doesn’t follow”, invalid arguments

Question 2

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc

Answer 2

after this, therefore because of this. Correlation ≠ Causation

Question 3

Petitio Principii

Answer 3

Circular argument

Question 4

Is to ought

Answer 4

Mistaking description for advocacy; changing is or does to ought, should or can.

Question 5

Rights to Ought

Answer 5

Argument that something ought to be the case, because it is a human or constitutional right

Question 6

Poisoning the Wells

Answer 6

An argument which precludes the possibility of being argued against

Question 7

The Straw Man

Answer 7

A Misrepresentation - often a simplification - of the opposing case, in order to attack it

Question 8

The Hollow Man

Answer 8

Fabrication of an argument you have never heard, by someone or people you don’t know

Question 9

Moving the goalposts

Answer 9

Occurs when previously agreed standard is arbitrarily, and innocuously, redefined to meet the requirements of the present argument

Question 10

Equivocation

Answer 10

Lexical ambiguity

Question 11

Amphipoly

Answer 11

syntactical ambiguity

Question 12

Solecism

Answer 12

grammatical mistake; nonstandard usage of a word

Question 13

Complex question

Answer 13

Question containing more than one question

Question 14

Red Herring

Answer 14

Distraction, diversion, change of subject

Question 15

Hasty Generalisation

Answer 15

Reaching an inductive conclusion from insufficient evidence

Question 16

Subjectivist Fallacy

Answer 16

What is true for one person is not true for another, especially against empirical evidence

Question 17

Faulty analogy

Answer 17

Use of an analogy in argument, when the distance between the original subject and the analogue is too great to admit of reason

Question 18

Slippery Slope

Answer 18

Reaching an absurd conclusion via small increments. Arguing based on possibility more than probability.

Question 19

Ad absurdum

Answer 19

Taking an argument to asburd lengths. Excessive use of hypothesis.

Question 20

Ad passiones

Answer 20

Any appeal to the passions, or emotions, instead of reason

Question 21

Ad hominem

Answer 21

Argument or appeal addressed to the individual; personal attack

Question 22

Tu quoque

Answer 22

Opponent’s argument is dismissed, because the opponent does not practise it himself

Question 23

Ad populum

Answer 23

Appeal to “herd mentality”. Something is true because the people say so

Question 24

Ad ignorantium

Answer 24

Proposition is true because it has not been proven false, or false because it has not been proven true

Question 25

Ad misericordium

Answer 25

An appeal to sympathy, pity or mercy, where this is irrelevant

Question 26

Ad verecundiam

Answer 26

Arguing a statement is true via an appeal to an authority

Question 27

Ad baculum

Answer 27

Settling an argument by appeal to, or invocation of, force or violence.