Logical Fallacies Flashcards
5 types of Logical Fallacies
Distorting the Issue Sabotaging the Argument Drawing Faulty Conclusions Misusing Evidence Misusing Language
6 ways of Distorting an Issue
Bare Assertion Begging the Question Oversimplification Either/Or Thinking Complex Question Straw Man
6 ways to Sabotage an argument
Red Herring Misuse Humor Appeal to Pity Use of Threats Bandwagon Mentality Appeal to Popular Sentiment
4 Ways to draw Faulty Conclusions from Evidence
Appeal to Ignorance
Hasty or Broad Generalization
False Cause
Slippery Slope
6 Misuse of Evidence
Impressing with numbers Half-Truths Unrelated Testimonial Attack against the person Hypothesis Contrary to the fact False Anology
3 Misuse of Language
Obfuscation
Ambiguity
Slanted Language
Bare Assertion
deny that it exists
Begging the Question
circular reasoning, assuming as the basis of your argument the very point you need to prove.
Oversimplification
reduces complexity to simplicity
Either/Or Thinking
Also known as black-and-white or dualistic thinking this fallacy reduces all options to two extremes.
Complex Question
phrasing a question a certain way, so to ignores or covers up a more basic question.
Straw Man
an argument against a claim that is easily refuted. Typically, an claim exaggerates or misrepresents the opponents’ position.
Red Herring
a volatile idea that pulls readers away from the real issue
Misuse of Humour
used to distract or mocks, it undercuts the argument
Appeal to Pity
a misleading tug on the heartstrings.
Use of Threats
usually the implied negative consequences of continued disagreement
Bandwagon Mentality
manipulates people’s desire to belong or be accepted by claiming the majority must be correct
Appeal to Popular Sentiment
associating a position with something popularly loved
Appeal to Ignorance
shift the burden of proof onto someone else.
Hasty or Broad Generalization
a claim is based on too little evidence or allows no exceptions.
False Cause
confuse sequence with causation:
Slippery Slope
a single step will start an unstoppable chain of events
Impressing with Numbers
statistics and numbers that overwhelm them into agreement. In addition, the numbers haven’t been properly interpreted.
Half-Truths
contains part of but not the whole truth. Because it leaves out “the rest of the story,” it is both true and false simultaneously
Unreliable Testimonial
appeal to authority not qualified in the proper field
Hypothesis Contrary to Fact
pure speculation, a claim cannot be tested.
False Analogy
argue that X is good (or bad) because it is like Y. Such an analogy may be valid, but it weakens the argument if the grounds for the comparison are vague or unrelated.
Obfuscation
using fuzzy terms to muddy the issue.make simple ideas sound more profound than they really are, or they may make false ideas sound true.
Ambiguity
Ambiguous statements can be interpreted in two or more opposite ways to obscure a position
Slanted Language
words with strong connotations used to draw one away from the logic of an argumen
Ethos
believe the argument because of the chariot of the speeker
Logos
appeal from logic and reason
Pathos
emotional appeal
