MANIPULATING CONTENT Flashcards
Trying to save a cherished belief by repeatedly revising the argument to explain away problems. “…But apart from better sanitation, medicine, education, irrigation, public health, roads, a freshwater system and public order… what have the Romans done for us?”
Ad Hoc Rescue
Offering a claim that cannot be proven false, because there is no way to check if it is false or not. “He lied because he’s possessed by demons.”
Unfalsifiability
Assuming a relatively small first step will inevitably lead to a chain of related (negative) events. “If we legalize marijuana, more people will start using crack and heroin. Then we’d have to legalize those too.”
Slippery Slope
Intentionally failing to use significant and relevant information which counts against one’s own conclusion. “The Iraqi regime possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons.”
Suppressed Evidence
Generalizing from an unrepresentative sample to increase the strength of your argument. “Our website poll found that 90% of internet users oppose online piracy laws.”
Biased Generalizing
Introducing irrelevant material to the argument to distract and lead towards a different conclusion. “The Senator needn’t account for irregularities in his expenses. After all, there are other senators who have done far worse things.’
Red Herring
Describing an occurrence in vivid detail, even if it’s a rare occurrence, to convince someone that it’s a problem. “After a court decision to legalize gay marriage, school libraries were required to stock same-sex literature; primary schoolchildren were given homosexual fairy stories and even manuals of explicit homosexual advocacy.”
Misleading Vividness
An outright untruth repeated knowingly as a fact. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”
Lie
Presenting two opposing options as the only two options while hiding alternatives. “We’re going to have to cut the education budget or go deeper into debt. We can’t afford to go deeper into debt. So we’ll have to cut the education budget.”
False Dilemma
Cherry-picking evidence that supports your idea while ignoring contradicting evidence. “It’s obvious 9-11 was a American-government led conspiracy to justify war in Iraq and Afghanistan. No plane hit the Pentagon. The Twin Towers collapse was a controlled demolition… etc”
Confirmation Bias
Making a claim while leaving out one or more major contributing factors that may affect the conclusion. “If we label food with warning labels, it will encourage people to eat more healthily.”
Begging the Question
