Fallacies (Faulty Reasoning)

Question 1

Fallacies w/ Irrelevant Premises

Answer 1

1. Genetic Fallacy
2. Appeal to the Person ( & tu quoque)
3. Composition
4. Division
5. Equivocation
6. Appeal to Popularity ( & appeal to common practice)
7. Appeal to tradition
8. Appeal to ignorance
9. Burden of proof
10. Appeal to emotion
11. Red herring
12. Straw Man

Question 2

Genetic Fallacy

Answer 2

Arguing that a claim is true or false solely because of its origin

Question 3

Appeal to the Person

Answer 3

Aka “Ad hominem” (to the man) - special case of the genetic fallacy (but in appeal to person it ATTACKS the person and usually IGNORES the argument)

Rejecting a claim by criticizing the person who makes it rather than the claim itself

Question 4

tu quoque

Answer 4

Type of Ad hominem fallacy - when arguments are put forward as charges of HYPOCRISY.

Question 5

Composition

Answer 5

Arguing what is true of the parts must be true of the whole

• Also when we assume that whats true of a member of a group is true of the entire group.
• Also shows up in statistical arguments

Question 6

Division

Answer 6

(Opposite of composition)

Arguing that what is true of the whole is true to its parts.
- What is true of the group is true of the individuals

Question 7

Equivocation

Answer 7

Use of a word in two different senses in an argument

Question 8

Appeal to Popularity

Answer 8

aka “appeal to the masses”

Arguing that a claim must be true merely because a substantial number of people BELIEVE it.

Question 9

Appeal to Common Practice

Answer 9

A type of “Appeal to popularity”

When the argument is about what people DO (vs. what they believe)

Question 10

Appeal to tradition

Answer 10

Arguing a claim must be true just because of tradition

Question 11

Appeal to Ignorance

Answer 11

Arguing that a lack of evidence proves something

Question 12

Burden of proof

Answer 12

Related to “appeal to ignorance”

The weight of evidence or argument required by one side of a debate or disagreement.

Question 13

Appeal to emotion

Answer 13

The use of emotions as premises in an argument (appealing to guilt, anger, pity, fear etc.) - form of rhetoric

Question 14

Red herring

Answer 14

Deliberately raising an irrelevant issues during an argument

Question 15

Straw Man

Answer 15

*Related to the red herring fallacy

Distorting, weakening, or oversimplifying of someones position so it can be more easily attacked/refuted.

Question 16

Fallacies with unacceptable premises

Answer 16

1. Begging the question
2. False Dilemma
3. Slippery slope
4. Hasty generalization
5. Faulty Analogy

Question 17

Begging the question

Answer 17

aka “arguing in a circle”

Attempting to establish the conclusion of an argument by using that conclusion as a premise

Question 18

False dilemma

Answer 18

Consists of either:
1. Asserting that there are only 2 alternatives to consider (when there are more than 2)
OR
2. Asserting that there are two distinct alternatives that may not be mutually exclusive

Question 19

Slippery Slope

Answer 19

To argue without good reasons and that taking a particular step will inevitably lead to a further undesirable step.

Question 20

Hasty generalization

Answer 20

When we draw a conclusion about a whole group based on an inadequate sample of the group

Question 21

Faulty Analogy

Answer 21

Faulty comparison of two or more things that are alike in a specific respects (but really aren’t)

Question 22

post hoc fallacy

Answer 22

A occurred, then B occurred.

Therefore, A caused B.