Lesson 5:fallicies

Question 1

what is a fallacy

Answer 1

A fallacy is “a deceptive argument that attempts to persuade us,
but contains a fundamental flaw in its reasoning

Question 2

expand on what informal fallacies are

Answer 2

informal fallacies usually either distract or appeal to emotion in order to convince.
Furthermore, informal fallacies often “involve bringing irrelevant information
into an argument or they are based on assumptions that, when examined, prove to be incorrect” As such, informal fallacies are therefore
dependent on the misuse of language and of evidence
Informal fallacies are substantive errors in an inductive argument

Question 3

expand on what formal fallacies are

Answer 3

A formal fallacy, on the other hand, is one that makes a purely logical mistake, and
will make an argument invalid Therefore, formal fallacies “are created when the
relationship between premises and conclusion does not hold up”

Question 4

comment on the slipperly slope informal fallacy

Answer 4

A slippery slope argument leads one from seemingly unimportant and obviously
true first premises to exaggerated consequences in the conclusion

This fallacy usually includes a chain of conditionals in its argument set-up (a conditional is an “if… then…” statement – The arguer proposes that one action or decision, will lead to another
action and then yet another with the result that the conclusion is quite far removed from the initial premise.

• Is a series of events presented as if these events are connected?
• Does the conclusion seem exaggerated or extreme in some way?

Question 5

what is the straw man fallacy

Answer 5

A fallacious form of reasoning that consists of making one’s own position
appear strong by misrepresenting, or ridiculing an opponent’s position.

Your reasoning contains the Straw
Man Fallacy whenever you attribute an easily refuted position to your opponent, one
that the opponent wouldn’t endorse, and then proceed to attack the easily refuted
position (the straw man) believing you have thereby undermined the opponent’s
actual position”

Question 6

explain the false dilemma informal fallacy

Answer 6

A false dilemma is created when an arguer presents an either-or choice when,
in fact, there are more than two alternatives

Question 7

explain the begging the question (petitio principii) informal fallacy

Answer 7

This fallacy occurs when what is supposedly proved by the conclusion of an
argument is already assumed true in the premises.This fallacy occurs when there is circular reasoning, i.e.
“the arguer assumes the truth of what she wants to prove”it is “[a] form of circular reasoning in which a conclusion is
derived from premises that presuppose the conclusion

Question 8

explain the ad hominem argument informal fallacy

Answer 8

An attack on the character, interests or circumstances of an opponent who is
making a claim rather than challenging the claim itself

Question 9

explain the false appeal to authority informal fallacy

Answer 9

This fallacy is committed when someone cites an authoritative or famous person who is not an expert in the field under discussion

Question 10

what is the hasty generalisation informal fallacy

Answer 10

The fallacy of hasty generalisation occurs when a conclusion is drawn based
on ill-considered or insuffi cient evidence

Question 11

what is the red herring informal fallacy

Answer 11

This fallacy occurs when an arguer tries to distract his audience with an
irrelevant issue and then claims that the irrelevant issue has settled the
original issue

Question 12

comment on the complex question informal fallacy

Answer 12

This fallacy occurs when two or more questions are disguised as one question.

Question 13

what is the informal fallacy of equivocation

Answer 13

The fallacy of equivocation occurs when a word or phrase is used in one
sense in one part of an argument and in a different sense in another part of
the same argument

Question 14

what is the false appeal to force informal fallacy

Answer 14

An appeal to force is made when an arguer employs a threat – physical or
non-physical – to force someone into accepting the argument

This fallacy is defined as “[a] fallacy in which the argument relies upon an open
or veiled threat to force”

Question 15

discuss the bandwagon argument informal fallacy

Answer 15

A bandwagon argument occurs when an arguer attempts to persuade people
to a particular stance by virtue of the emotional, populist sentiment contained
in the argument rather than the strength of the argument

This argument
is committed when “… support [is] given for some conclusion [which] is an appeal to popular
belief”

Question 16

what is false analogy informal fallacy

Answer 16

A false analogy is made when an argument is presented in the form of an
analogy, but the analogy made is weak

Question 17

expand on the Formal fallacy – affirming the consequent

Answer 17

Affirming or confirming the
consequent occurs when you think that since “you have enough evidence to affirm
the consequent of a conditional, you then suppose that as a result you have sufficient
reason to affirm the antecedent of the conditional”

Question 18

discuss the Formal fallacy – denying the antecedent

Answer 18

the modus tollens, which is a valid
argument, denies the consequent of the conditional statement. In the fallacy, the
antecedent is denied i.e. denying the antecedent.