Lecture 2.2 Flashcards
What is the act of misrepresenting an argument to make it easier to refute called?
The act of misrepresenting an argument to make it easier to refute is called the strawman.
What is the term for arguing against an argument by attacking the person making it?
Arguing against an argument by attacking the person making the argument is termed ad hominem.
What is the name of the fallacy that dismisses an argument because of its origins?
The fallacy that dismisses an argument because of its origins is called the genetic fallacy.
Why is it problematic to rely solely on an appeal to authority?
It is problematic to rely solely on an appeal to authority because someone with expertise said it, and that does not mean they were right, especially if their expertise is not relevant to the claim they make.
What is the tendency to seek evidence that confirms pre-existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence known as?
The tendency to seek evidence that confirms pre-existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence is known as confirmation bias.
What fallacy occurs when it’s argued that a claim must be false (or true) simply because it hasn’t been proven true (or false)?
The fallacy that occurs when it’s argued that a claim must be false or true simply because it hasn’t been proven true or false is argumentum ad ignorantiam.
What is the fallacy of arbitrarily changing definitions to avoid contrary information called?
The fallacy of arbitrarily changing definitions to avoid contrary information is called no true Scotsman.
What kind of argument has premises and a conclusion that are the same, often just rewording the same idea?
A circular argument has premises and a conclusion that are the same, often circular as it simply moves words around rather than ideas.
What is the term for the misconception that if someone uses a fallacy, their entire argument is false?
The misconception that if someone uses a fallacy in their argument, it means their argument is false, is also a fallacy, and it is called the fallacy fallacy.
What have Daniel Kahneman and others shown about human intuitive rationality?
Daniel Kahneman and others have shown pretty conclusively that humans are not intuitively rational. We make logical mistakes all the time, and we rely on flimsy premises more than we’d like to know.
What is the broad category that includes ad hominem and genetic fallacies?
The broad category that includes ad hominem and genetic fallacies is fallacies of irrelevance.
What two concepts are conflated in argumentum ad ignorantiam?
Argumentum ad ignorantiam conflates lack of knowledge, which is epistemology, with lack of existence, which is ontology.
Give an example of arguing that God doesn’t exist because his existence can’t be proven.
“You can’t prove the existence of God therefore He doesn’t exist” is an example of arguing that God doesn’t exist because his existence can’t be proven.
Give an example of arguing that God exists because his non-existence cannot be disproven.
“You can’t disprove the existence of God therefore He exists” is an example of arguing that God exists because his non-existence cannot be disproven.
Give 2 examples of a circular arguments.
“Left handed people are better cricket batsmen because right-handed people don’t bat as well” is an example of a circular argument related to left-handed cricket batsmen.
“The sleeping potion works because it has the soporific power,” where soporific is the power to put people to sleep, is an example of a circular argument using a sleeping potion.
What must be present in a valid argument?
A valid argument must have good progression of logical argument.
Can a valid argument be constructed from false premises?
A valid argument can still be based on false premises.
