Fallacies of Diversion

Question 1

List all of the Fallacies of Diversion.

Answer 1

1) Ad Hominem
2) Ad Verecundiam
3) Ad Baculum
4) Ad Misericordiam
5) Ad Ignominiam
6) Ad Populum
7) Ad Ignorantiam

Question 2

Define the Ad Hominem fallacy.

Answer 2

An argument addressed to the person instead of the issue.

Question 3

What are three subcategories of the Ad Hominem fallacy?

Answer 3

1) Poisoning the Well - A direct attack on the trustworthiness of the person instead of attacking the argument.
2) Tu Quoque - Accusing your critic of the same thing he accuses you of.
3) The Genetic Fallacy - “Refuting” an idea by showing some suspicious psychological origin. (You haven’t grown up and the like.)

Question 4

Define the Ad Verecundiam fallacy.

Answer 4

The illegitimate appeal to authority.

Question 5

What are the five ways in which an appeal to authority becomes fallacious?

Answer 5

1) Irrelevant - The authority is not an expert in the field.
2) Unreliable - Like the Colin Turner Society
3) Unnecessary - There’s an argument from reason that would prove the point.
4) Dogmatic - Claiming Certainty instead of probability. (Treating men as gods)
5) Uncritical - No good reason why the authority should be trusted. (Appeal to Big Names)

Question 6

Define the Ad Baculum fallacy.

Answer 6

An appeal to force instead of reason.

Question 7

Define the Ad Misericordiam fallacy.

Answer 7

An appeal to pity without valid argument.

Question 8

Define the Ad Ignominiam fallacy.

Answer 8

An appeal to shame.

Question 9

Define the Ad Populam fallacy.

Answer 9

An appeal to the masses/populace.

Question 10

Define the Ad Ignorantiam.

Answer 10

An appeal to ignorance. (This argument must be true because we do not know it is false.)