Logical Fallacies Flashcards
Non sequitur
Conclusion doesn’t follow the premise, a distraction
Ad hominem
A personal attack
Straw man
Redefining the terms of the argument to make it easier to defeat, misrepresentation
Ad natura
Based on the premise that whatever nature dictated is best in all respects
Ad antiquitum
An appeal to tradition; if it worked in the past then it’ll always work
Ad verecundium
An appeal to authority; celebs in ads
Ad populum
The fallacy that an argument’s correctness is correlated to its popularity
Ad misericordium
An appeal to pity to achieve a broader goal
Ad baculum
Appeal to fear or force; coercion
Slippery slope
Death or doom; if one thing happens then another crazy thing will happen
False dilemma
Presents two options, when in reality there are more than two
Ad ignorantium
When the lack of evidence is used as proof for or against a claim
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
The lack of realization that correlation doesn’t equal causation
Leading/ complex question
A question that contains an unproven assumption
Patitio principii
When the premise and the conclusion have the same meaning; circular reasoning
Special pleading
When you exempt yourself from a criticism applied to others
Genetic fallacy
Discounting a claim based on its origin; guilt by association
Tu quoque
A fallacy that turns an assertion back on the claimant
Ad dicto simpliciter
Sweeping generalizations that don’t address complexity
False analogy
When you equate two totally different scenarios to argue about one
Amphiboly
Using the word in a different way than the original speaker
Contextomy
Taking someone’s words out of context so their meaning changes
