Logical Fallacies Flashcards
What is a fallacy?
Flawed statements that often sound true
Can be used to strengthen an argument
If used incorrectly, audiences can use it to damage your credibility as a rhetor
What are the two main categories of fallacies?
Fallacies of relevance
Component fallacy
What is a fallacy of relevance?
An appeal to evidence, examples that are irrelevant
What are examples of fallacies of relevance?
Red herring, appeal to authority, appeal to pity, weak analogy, bandwagon
What is a component fallacy?
Errors in the process of reasoning
What are examples of component fallacies?
Hasty generalizations, Post Hoc, slippery slope
What is red herring?
Side arguments or tangents that actually having nothing to do with the argument at hand
What is an appeal to authority?
Cites an authority that is not actually an authority, usually a celebrity
What is weak analogy?
Compares two things that aren’t really alike
What is an appeal to pity?
Wants the audience to feel sorry for us or another group
What is bandwagon?
Proposes an idea is true because a majority of people are doing it
What is a hasty generalization?
Making assumptions on a whole group based on a sample that is atypical or too small
What is a post hoc?
Falsely assumes that since B comes after A, A caused B
What is slippery slope?
AKA camel’s nose - a chain reaction will cause some dire, over-the-top consequence
