Fallacy Detective Flashcards
Fallacy
An error in logic
2 Benefits looking at opposing viewpoints
- We can change our views if we are wrong
- We can better help others.
Avoiding the question
When we introduce something irrelevant into an argument.
Red Herring
Introduces an irrelevant point into an argument.
(Someone may think (or may want us to think) it proves his side but it really doesn’t)
Special Pleading
When someone uses a double standard or argues for an unjustified exception.
Ad Hominem
Attacking an opponent character or his motives for believing something instead of disproving the argument.
NOT Ad Hominem
When someone questions whether someone else is telling the truth
Genetic Fallacy
Condemning an argument because of where it began, how it began, or who began it.
Tu Quoque
Dismissing someone’s viewpoint on an issue because he himself is inconsistent in that very thing.
Faulty Appeal to Authority
An appeal to someone who has no special knowledge in the area being discussed.
Appeal to the People
When we claim that our viewpoint is correct because many other people agree with it
Straw Man
Changing or exaggerating an opponent’s position to make it easier to refute.
Assumption
Something taken for granted or accepted as true without proof.
Circular Reasoning
An argument which says “P is true because is true, and Q is true because P is true”
Equivocation
When someone changes the meaning of a word in the middle of an argument
Loaded Question
When someone asks two questions, but one is hidden behind the other.
Slippery Slope
This fallacy assumes that if we take one step, nothing will stop us from taking us a series of steps because each step is the same.
Part-to-Whole
When someone says that what is true of part of something MUST also be true of the whole thing together that is a part-to-whole fallacy.
Whole-to-Part
When someone says that what is true of something as a whole MUST ALSO be true of each of its parts….that is whole to part fallacy
Either-OR
When someone asserts that we MUST choose between two things, when in fact we have more than two alternatives.
What is a generalization?
A generalization takes a sample from a class of things, then, using the characteristics from that sample, says something about everyone in that class.
What is a class?
A class is a group of people or things which all have some common characteristics.
Sample
When you examine one or more of the people or things in a class, then you are taking a sample of the class.
Hasty Generalization
Generalizing about a class based upon a small or poor sample.
