Fallacies Fallacies of Ambiguity Fallacies of Relevance Flashcards
are errors or tricks of reasoning. We
call a _______ an error of reasoning if it occurs accidentally; we call it a trick of reasoning if a
speaker or writer uses it in order to deceive or
manipulate his audience.
Fallacies
Fallacies can be
either _____ or _____.
formal or informal.
- Is an argument with a flawed structure (the form) rather than the content.
- It occurs when the logical structure is
flawed, making the conclusion invalid,
regardless of the content. - Formal fallacies can often be identified through the argument’s form alone.
Formal Fallacy
Premise 1: All successful skaters own a
skateboard.
Premise 2: I own a skateboard.
Conclusion: Therefore, I’m a successful
skater.
Formal Fallacy
- An ______ fallacy differs from a ______ fallacy in that _______ fallacies present flawed content rather than a flawed structure.
- These fallacies often involve assumptions, emotional appeals, or misrepresentations.
Informal Fallacy
“You should vote for this candidate because they grew up in a tough neighborhood and had to work hard to succeed.“ – Appeal to Emotion.
“People who want to ban plastic straws are just trying to control what we can drink from!” – Straw Man.
Informal Fallacy
occur when a statement is misleading due to unclear or double meanings. This can lead to faulty reasoning or conclusions. The ultimate issue arises when the ambiguity affects the
argument’s validity.
Fallacies of Ambiguity
- This occurs when a key term is used
ambiguously, leading to a misleading
conclusion.
“The priest says that the Bible is
the word of God. A word is a unit of language,
so the Bible is a unit of language. Therefore,
the Bible is God.
Equivocation
- This arises from ambiguous grammatical
construction, leading to misinterpretation.
Example: “I saw the man with the telescope. “(It’s unclear whether the man had the
telescope or the speaker used one to see the
man.)
Amphiboly
- This involves ambiguity due to emphasis on different words or phrases in a
statement.
Example: “She didn’t steal my money.
“ (The meaning changes depending on which word is emphasized—”she,” “didn’t,” “steal,” or “money.”)
Accent
- This fallacy occurs when one assumes that what is true of the parts must be true of the whole.
Example: “All the team members are
excellent players, so the team will win every game.
” (The team’s performance may not
reflect individual skills.)
Composition
- This is the reverse of composition, assuming what is true of the whole is true for its parts.
Example: “The cake is delicious, so each ingredient must be delicious.
“
“This car is expensive, so each part of it must be expensive.
“
- Division
occur when the
premises of an argument are not logically
relevant to the conclusion, leading to faulty
reasoning. Instead of providing valid support,
these fallacies distract from the actual issue,
often appealing to emotions or unrelated
points.
Fallacies of Relevance
- This fallacy attacks the person making the
argument rather than the argument itself.
Example: “You can’t trust Jane’s opinion on
climate change; she doesn’t even recycle.
”
Ad Hominem
This involves misrepresenting an
opponent’s argument to make it easier to
attack.
Example: “My opponent wants to reduce the
military budget; clearly, they want to leave us
defenseless.
Straw Man
