Fallacies Flashcards
what are fallacies
arguments that involve some kind of rational mistake
what are the three types of fallacies?
Formal Fallacies
Substantive Fallacies
Unnamed Fallacies
substantive fallacies are always ________
unsound
unnamed fallacies are ____________
poor attempts at argumentation
most fallacies are…
substantive
what are substantive fallacies?
one of premises is a very general false assumption (usually left implicit; but once made explicit clear it is false)
ad hominem
rejecting a claim because of a disapproval/dislike for arguer
ad hominem circumstantial
rejecting a claim because arguer would benefit from it
tu quoque
rejecting argument on basis of hypocrisy (do as I say, not as I do)
popular belief
concluding that because something is popular, it is true
conflating morality and legality
assuming anything legal must be moral; anything illegal must be immoral
perfectionist
rejecting argument that proposes solution to a problem, on basis it won’t completely solve it
post hoc ergo propter hoc
mistake of inferring that event X caused event Y because X occurred before Y
correlation for cause
mistaking that two events in conjunction means one causes the other
weak analogy
assuming that because something is related to something else in one respect, they are related in all relevant respects
false dilemma
limiting options on an issue to two, when there are more
arguer creates dilemma when there is none
straw target
misrepresent, distort, simplify or exaggerate an opponent’s stance to make it easier to refute
slippery slope
arguer assumes that to permit/forbid a certain action will lead to further undesirable events, without providing good reason (cannabis)
begging the question
the truth of an argument’s conclusion is assumed in the premises, and the truth of one of the premises depends on its justification on the truth of the conclusion
what fallacies are in the unnamed category?
straw target
slippery slope
begging the question
