Unit 1A Vocab Flashcards
Logic
the study of the methods and principles of reasoning
argument
uses a set of facts or assumptions, call premises, to support a conclusion
fallacy
a deceptive argument - an argument in which the conclusion is not well supported by the premises
appeal to popularity/majority
the fact that large #s of people believe or act some way is used inappropriately as evidence that the belief or action is correct
false cause
the fact that one event came before another is incorrectly taken as evidence the 1st event caused the 2nd event
appeal to ignorance
uses lack of knowledge about the truth of a proposition to conclude the opposite aka the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence
hasty generalization
a conclusion is drawn from an inadequate # of cases or from cases that have not been sufficiently analyzed
limited choice/false dilemma
artificially prohibits choices that ought to be considered
appeal to emotion/appeal to force
an attempt to evoke an emotion response as a tool of persuasion
personal attack/ad hominem
resorting to attacking people/groups instead of arguing logically
circular reasoning
the premise and conclusion say basically the same thing
diversion/red herring
attempt to divert attention from the real issue
straw man
argument based on a distortion of someone’s words or beliefs (similar to a diversion, but the primary difference is a diversion argues against an unrelated issue and straw man argues against a distorted version of a real issue
1st step to evaluating media info
consider the source
2nd step to evaluating media info
check the date
3rd step to evaluating media info
validate accuracy
4th step to evaluating media info
watch for hidden agendas
5th step to evaluating media info
don’t miss the big picture
