Rhetorical Terms, Fallacies Flashcards
genetic fallacy
when sth. is mistakenly reduced to its origins, e.g.: “We know that emotions are nothing more than physiology; after all, medical research has shown emotions involve the secretion of hormones.”
the gambler’s fallacy, aka the Monte Carlo fallacy
“I’m betting on heads; it’s got to come up since the last nine have been tails.”
post hoc ergo propter hoc
literally, “after this, therefore because of this.” e.g.” “I’m sure my cold is due to the weather; I started sneezing right after the temperature plunged.”
fallacy of division
applying to the part what may be true of the whole: “Nort Dakota has wide open spaces; since Jack’s farm is there, it must be quite large.”
circular reasoning
“Only wealthy men are capable of leading hte country; after all, leadership can be learned only if you have had the money needed to exercise power.”
fallacy of composition
where properties of the part are erroneously attibuted to the whole: “Every apple on this tree is rotten; therefore the tree must be hopelessly diseased.”
fallacy of consensus gentium
appealing to the beliefs/behavior of the majority to validate sth.: “Imbibing alcohol cannot be unhealthful, since all cultures studied have used alcohol.”
fallacy of arguing from authority
“Tragedy is the highest form of literature; after all, didn’t Aristotle say so?”
fallacy of ignoratio elenchus
general term for using an irrelevant point to bolster an argument: “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you cannot convict my client of manslaughter while DWI; after all, advertisements for alcohol exist everywhere in our culture.”
