Material Fallacies Of Feasoning

Question 1

Linguistic fallacy of emotive language

Answer 1

Words that are used that lack definite meaning or have the sole purpose of the arousal of unreasoned feeling
In America when you call someone a communist it is not so much to truly convey the thought that they believe in common property for all but to insult the person

Question 2

Linguistic fallacy of ambiguity

Answer 2

People who hide behind a word which lacks precise meaning because the meaning is unknown to either one or both parties

Question 3

Linguistic fallacy of equivocation

Answer 3

The use of a term in more than one sense, while te impression is given that it is being used to express only one same meaning
“The US is large. Large is an adjective. The US is an adjective”

Question 4

Linguistic fallacy of amphibology

Answer 4

Use of a statement which permits two interpretations
1. Pertains to the entire argument where as equivocation is limited to single terms
2. The ENTIRE argument is susceptible to a two fold interpretation Due to the STRUCTURE and NOT to any misuse on the part of
the debater
“The duke yet lives that Henry shall depose”

“A high hair for a baby with a broken leg”

“Clean and decent boxing everyday except Sunday”

Question 5

Linguistic fallacy of figure of speech

Answer 5

Failure to distinguish between variant meanings of sentence elements, such as suffixes
More common in forgiven languages not English

Question 6

Guess this fallacy by John Stuart Mill
“The only proof that sound is audible is that people hear it. The only proof that an object is see able is if it can be seen. The only proof that anything is desirable is that it is desirable

Answer 6

Visible means can be seen
Audible means can be heard
Desirable does not mean can be desirable but OUGHT to be desirable

I would have missed this one completely

To say that the removal of a tumor is desirable does not show that an individual desires it but that it ought to be desired

Question 7

Linguistic fallacy of composition

Answer 7

False assumption that a statement about an integral PART of something necessarily holds true for the composite whole

“An orchestra composed of the worlds greatest violin players would be the best orchestra in the world”

Question 8

Gestalt

Answer 8

Greater than the sum of its parts

An organic whole which does not contain a one to one relationship to its parts

Question 9

Linguistic fallacy of division

Answer 9

Converse of composition that what holds true for the entire whole is necessarily true for each component part considered separately

“California grows the best grapes in the world so the grape I am about to eat from California will be one of the best in the world”

“The New York Yankees were the best team in the world so they had the best 2nd baseman in all of baseball”

Question 10

Linguistic fallacy of vicious abstraction

Answer 10

Removal of a stem want from its contexts which thereby changes the meaning of the argument

“Money is the root of all evil”
Love of money is

“Philosophy inclines a man to atheism”
A little philosophy

Question 11

Fallacy of irrelevance

Answer 11

To prove or disprove the wrong point.
Ignoratio elenchi
Instead of proving point A they prove or disprove point B

A prosecutor who tries to prove a defendant is guilty of murder by proving they stole or raped

Question 12

Argumentum ad ignorantiam

Answer 12

The appeal to ignorance

1. assuming what might possibly be true as true
2. Assuming a given thesis is correct because no one can disprove it(though the burden of proof should fall upon the speaker anyway)
3. Trying to disprove an opponents argument by disproving a nonessential part of the argument

Question 13

Argumentum ad misericordiam

Answer 13

Appeal to pity
Instead if defending an argument on its merits the fallacy evades pertinent issues and makes a purely emotional appeal
It can actually be legitimate sometimes

Question 14

Argumentum ad vericundiam

Answer 14

Appeal to prestige
This fallacy equates prestige with evidence.
“ son listen to what I have to say because I am your father and you must respect your elders”

Question 15

Argumentum ad baculum

Answer 15

Appeal to force

“Argument by means of club”

Question 16

Argumentun ad hominem

Answer 16

Appeal to personal ridicule
Fallacy of Sharon an argument from the point being discussed to the personality of the opponent
“He is not a good president because he is divorced from his wife”

“You can’t possible believe this ignorant hippie”

Question 17

Argument in ad populum

Answer 17

Appeal to the masses

Arguments which depart from the question and appeal to the feelings and prejudices of the multitude

Question 18

Dicto simpliciter

Answer 18

Fallacy of accident
Apply a general rule to special cases which are exceptions to the rule, to make universal Statements about matters which the rule does not always apply
“Theft is a crime. Since Sparta allowed stealing, it must have been entirely made of criminals”

Question 19

Converse fallacy of accident

Answer 19

Also called fallacy of selected instances or hasty generalizations tries to a rule or scientific law by the showing instances without obtaining a representative number of particular instances.
“All black people are thieves. I went to school with a bunch of them and they all stole.”

Question 20

Post hoc

Answer 20

False cause
Consists I reasoning from mere sequence to consequence, from what merely happened to the assumption of a causal connection
“I burped twice and lightening struck twice. I cause lightening with burps”

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Question 21

Non sequitur

Answer 21

It does not follow

Acceptance of conclusion which does not follow logically from given premed is or from antecedent statements

Difference between post hoc is that post hoc is due to lack of causal connection ad non sequitur is due to lack of logical connection

Question 22

Compound questions

Answer 22

Poisoning of the wells
Combing several questions in such a manner as to preclude all opposing arguments, thus causing the opponent to self-incriminate
"Why did you torture this child"
"How do you account for your stupidity"
"Have you stopped beating your wife"

Question 23

Petitio principii

Answer 23

Begging the question
Has many many forms
Circular reasoning is one

Question 24

Tu quoque

Answer 24

You yourself do it

People who defines actions by accusing the critic of doing the same things himself
If conditions are identical than it is valid but only then

Question 25

Fallacy of misplaced authority

Answer 25

It is an error to cite an authority in matters foreign to his field of study
The artistic opinions of Newton or Einstein hold no more scientific merit than mine own. They have to be judged on their merits

Question 26

Genetic error

Answer 26

Confuses the validity with the causes or Orin’s if a thesis.a mistake to assume that an argument is necessarily false because it can be traced back to humble beginnings know superstition, ignorance, or magic. 5+5 is 10 even if an insane person says it

Question 27

Material fallacies

Answer 27

That is the error lies in the factual CONTENT of the argument and NOT the structure

Question 28

False Analogy

Answer 28

Arguments which resemble each other in logical reasoning are said to be analogous but any major differences between the propositions can vitiate the conclusions,
Women would make better congressmen than men because government is just good housekeeping
false analogy between up keeping a house and running a government

Question 29

Insufficient Evidence

Answer 29

refers to the acceptance of inadequate data for a conclusion.
Just because the murder weapon belonged to the defendant does not mean he committed the murder

Question 30

Pathetic Fallacy

Answer 30

Anthropomorphism

when distinctive traits of human beings are attributed to nonhuman entities

Question 31

Contrary to fact conditional error

Answer 31

conclusions derived from false premises cannot be described as valid.
“If the south had won the civil war, then slavery would be in the North”
\No one knows what would happend

Question 32

Remember

Answer 32

These are all good rules but do not let them get in the way of good argument. Sometimes imagination and common sense are actually good.