LSAT Flaws Flashcards
Flaw
Keywords
Circular Reasoning
restates the conclusion as a premise, presupposes what it seeks to establish
Ad Hominem
attacks the person, questions the character of the person rather than the argument
Appeal to Inappropriate Authority
cites an expert, irrelevant authority, expert outside their field
Sampling Flaw
small sample, non-representative sample, hasty generalization
Comparison Flaw
compares two dissimilar things, faulty analogy, draws an analogy between two different things
False Choice
either/or, limits options, false dichotomy
Causation Flaw
correlation does not imply causation, post hoc, temporal relationship mistaken for causation
Equivocation
uses a word in two different senses, ambiguous use of a term
Straw Man
misrepresents the argument, distorts an opponent’s argument to attack it
Hasty Generalization
draws a conclusion based on insufficient evidence, small sample size
Appeal to Emotion
emotional appeal, appeals to fear, pity, or emotions instead of logic
Slippery Slope
one thing leads to another, chain of events with no proof
Appeal to Tradition
appeal to the past, relies on tradition as evidence, because it’s always been done
Appeal to Popularity
majority opinion, bandwagon, many people believe it, so it must be true
False Analogy
compares two things that are not similar enough, analogy between two unrelated things
Red Herring
introduces irrelevant information, distracts from the argument
Post Hoc
after this, therefore because of this, assumes that event A caused event B
Loaded Question
contains an assumption, presupposes something within the question
Appeal to Force
threats, coercion, persuades through fear of negative consequences
Composition Fallacy
what is true of the part is true of the whole, assumes parts make up the whole
Division Fallacy
what is true of the whole is true of the parts, applies whole characteristics to parts
False Dilemma
either/or, presents two choices as the only options, ignores alternatives
Begging the Question
assumes the truth of the conclusion, circular reasoning
Appeal to Ignorance
can’t prove it’s false, so it must be true, lack of evidence means truth
Appeal to Nature
natural is good, assumes natural things are inherently better
False Cause
correlation is mistaken for causation, post hoc fallacy, temporal relation assumed as causal
Gambler’s Fallacy
past events affect future probability, assumes independence of events
Tu Quoque
you too, calls out hypocrisy instead of addressing the argument
Appeal to Pity
guilt-tripping, appeals to pity, makes you feel sorry rather than logical reasoning
Appeal to Wealth
wealth implies truth, assumes that something is true because it is expensive
Appeal to Fear
uses fear to convince, relies on scary consequences rather than evidence
Appeal to Consequences
focuses on the outcomes or consequences rather than the truth
Argument from Silence
lack of evidence means proof, assumes silence as agreement
Complex Question
contains an assumption, assumes something is true within the question
Naturalistic Fallacy
natural equals good, assumes natural things are better
No True Scotsman
redefines a group to avoid counterexamples, dismisses exceptions by altering the definition
Appeal to Novelty
newer is better, assumes something is superior because it’s new
Moral Equivalence
compares minor actions to major wrongdoings, equates things that are not morally comparable
Cherry Picking
selective evidence, ignores contrary evidence, only highlights supporting data
Appeal to Authority
cites an authority as evidence, appeals to a figure of authority for proof
False Attribution
cites an irrelevant or incorrect source, uses false or exaggerated evidence
Appeal to Extremes
exaggerates argument to an extreme, discredits by taking argument to the extreme
Moving the Goalposts
changes criteria for proving argument, shifts goalposts once evidence is presented
Nirvana Fallacy
rejects solution because it’s not perfect, compares a solution to an idealized, perfect version
Misleading Vividness
uses dramatic events to discredit data, highlights vivid anecdotes over statistics
Definitional Retreat
alters definition after being challenged, shifts the meaning of terms
Anachronistic Fallacy
applies present-day ideas to the past, judges past events by modern standards
Appeal to Hypocrisy
dismisses argument by pointing out hypocrisy, attacks inconsistency rather than logic
Appeal to Incredulity
disbelieves because it’s hard to imagine, rejects an argument because it’s implausible
False Precision
uses precision or numbers to give false certainty, creates the illusion of accuracy
