informal fallacies Flashcards
chapter 7
what is abusive ad hominem
insulting someone instead of responding to their position
what is circumstantial ad hominem
assuming that someones views are a function of their interests
what is tu quoque (hypocrisy)
pointing out that a critic does exactly what they are criticizing you for
what is appeal to force
a threat instead of evidence
what is appeal to fear
playing on peoples fears instead of presenting evidence
what is appeal to petty
saying that we should do or believe something because someone will be unhappy otherwise
what is appeal to popularity
saying we should believe something because lots of other people do
what is accident
taking a widespread truth too far
what is hasting generalization
making a statistical generalization without using a representative sample that is also large enough
what is composition
inferring that a whole has a characteristic because its parts have the characteristics
what is division
inferring that parts have a characteristic because the whole has the characteristic
what is straw man
a fake argument that is substituted for the real argument because it is easy to knock down
what is irrelevant conclusion
missing the point
the evidence does not really support the conclsuion
what is red herring
changing the topic
diverting someones attention from the real issue by pointing to a side issue
what is appeal to ignorance
claiming that something is true because no one has shown it is false
what is slippery slope
contending that if we do one thing, it will inevitably lead to further consequences
what is loaded question
asking a question with a presupposition that has not been argued for (can’t answer yes or no)
what is false dilemma
assuming that there are fewer alternatives than there actually are
what is equivocation
using one word or phrase which has two different meanings
what is amphiboly
a sentence that has more than one meaning because of the way it is grammatically constructed
what is fallacious appeal to authority
relying on testimony of an ‘expert’ who is dishonest and lacks the relevant expertise
what is begging the question
circular argument that relies on what is supposedly proving
arguer just repeats themselves
what is faulty analogy
a comparison between two things that fails because a relevant difference is ignored
