quiz 2 Flashcards
dont fail
The premise to an argument is acceptable on the basis of testimony if:
You learn the premise from a trustworthy person who is in a position to know whether the premise is true
A defect in an argument that consists in something other than merely false premises:
A Fallacy
Aristotle’s belief that “A statement cannot be, at the same time and in the same regard, both true and false” is called
The law of non-contradiction
W. K. Clifford’s assertion that “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything on insufficient evidence,” is associated with what idea?
Epistemic responsibility
Why did Clifford maintain that, “There is no such thing as a private belief”?
Because beliefs determine actions
An argument that proceeds from our knowledge of the past to a claim about the future:
A prediction
An argument which proceeds from the knowledge of a selected sample to some claim about an entire group:
Generalization
An argument that proceeds from knowledge of a cause to a claim about its supposed effects:
A causal inference
Words which carry strong emotive value or associative power:
Dysphemisms (loaded terms)
The discipline or practice frequently referred to as “the art of persuasion”:
Rhetoric
The fallacy of sliding from one meaning of a term to another in the middle of an argument. In other words, using an ambiguous term in more than one sense, thus making an argument misleading:
Equivocation
A person who stands to gain something from our belief in a claim is known as:
An interested party
A person who stands to gain nothing from our belief in a claim is known as:
A disinterested party
Tools of persuasion used to influence an audience’s or individual’s perception of certain
information:
Rhetorical devices (“spin”)
When a mild or indirect word or expression is substituted for a term considered too direct, blunt,
harsh, unpleasant, embarrassing, or negative, the speaker is using:
A euphemism
The reduction of a group of people to some essentializing category, usually negative:
A stereotype
A subtle way of getting a point across without explicitly saying the thing you wish to convey:
Innuendo (paralipsis)
An attempt to make something seem less important than it is:
Downplaying
The attempt to delegitimize or downplay an individual or argument through mockery:
Ridicule
The exaggeration of something for dramatic or rhetorical effect:
Hyperbole
When a new or old term is designated to mean something distinct within a specific context, it is
said to have:
A stipulative definition
When the emotions of anger, hatred, or rage are substituted for evidence in an argument, the
argument is said to suffer from which logical fallacy?
Appeal to Anger (or “Outrage”)
When a threat is issued by an arguer towards their audience, either explicitly or implicitly, if they
fail to agree with the arguer’s conclusion, the argument is said to suffer from which logical
fallacy?
Argumentum ad Baculum (“Appeal to Force”)
When substituting pride of membership in a group for reason and deliberation in arriving at a
position on an issue, the argument is said to suffer from which logical fallacy?
The “groupthink” fallacy
When an arguer attacks the person with whom they are arguing, rather than that person’s
argument, the argument is said to suffer from which logical fallacy?
Argumentum ad Hominem (“Argument against the Person”)
A form of ad hominem fallacy that occurs when it is assumed that an argument is wrong if the
source making the claim has itself spoken or acted in a way inconsistent with it. The fallacy
focuses on the perceived hypocrisy of the opponent rather than the merits of their argument:
Tu quoque (“You also”)
The fallacy of arguing that a claim must be true merely because a substantial number of people
believe it:
Argumentum ad Populum (“Appeal to Popularity”)
The fallacy of distorting, weakening, or oversimplifying someone’s position so that it can be
more easily attacked or refuted:
The Strawman Fallacy
