LOGICAL FALLACIES

42問 • 2年前

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: This is a conclusion based on the premise that if A happens, then eventually through a series of small steps, through B, C,..., X, Y, Z will happen, too, basically equating A and Z. So, if we don't want Z to occur A must not be allowed to occur either.

1. Slippery slope

Example: If we ban Hummers because they are bad for the environment eventually the government will ban all cars, so we should not ban Hummers.

Slippery slope

: This is a conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence. In other words, you are rushing to a conclusion before you have all the relevant facts.

Hasty Generalization

●Example: Even though it's only the first day, I can tell this is going to be a boring course.

Hasty Generalization

: This is a conclusion that assumes that if 'A' occurred after 'B' then 'B' must have caused 'A.'

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Example: I drank bottled water and now I am sick, so the water must have made me sick.

Post hoc

: A conclusion is based on an argument that the origins of a person, idea, institute, or theory determine its character, nature, or worth.

4. Genetic Fallacy

●Example: The Volkswagen Beetle is an evil car because it was originally designed by Hitler's army

Genetic Fallacy

: The conclusion that the writer should prove is validated within the claim.

5. Begging the Claim

●Example: Filthy and polluting coal should be banned.

Begging the Claim

: This restates the argument rather than actually proving it.

6. Circular Argument

●Example: George Bush is a good communicator because he speaks effectively.

Circular Argument

This is a conclusion that oversimplifies the argument by reducing it to only two sides or choices.

7. Use of either…or:

Example: We can either stop using cars or destroy the earth.

either or

: This is an attack on the character of a person rather than their opinions or arguments.

Ad hominem

Example: Green Peace's strategies aren't effective because they are all dirty, lazy hippies.

Ad Hominem

: This is an emotional appeal that speaks to positive (such as patriotism, religion, democracy) or negative (such as terrorism or fascism) concepts rather than the real issue at hand.

Ad populum

Example: If you were a true Filipino you would support the rights of people to choose whatever vehicle they want.

Ad Populum

: This is a diversionary tactic that avoids the key issues, often by avoiding opposing arguments rather than addressing them.

Red Herring

Example: The level of mercury in seafood may be unsafe, but what will fishers do to support their families.

Red Herring

: This fallacy arises when we infer something is good because it is natural, or something is bad because it is unnatural. The naturalistic fallacy has other meanings, but we will focus on this meaning.

Appeal to Nature

Example: Many people argue it is morally permissible to eat cows and pigs because it is natural. They usually argue it is natural because humans have the teeth for it, it is part of the cycle of life, or because other animals do it.

Appeal to Nature

This fallacy arises when we illegitimately limit the number of alternatives available.

Black and White: (False Dilemma, False Dichotomy, or Polarized Thinking)

Example: You must be a Republican or Democrat. You are not a Democrat. Therefore, you must be a Republican.

Black and white

: This is when we illegitimately appeal to ignorance to support a conclusion. It usually takes the following form: “No one has proven not A, therefore A is true.” It may also take this form: “No one has proven A, so A is false.”

Argument from Ignorance

Example: You cannot prove God exists, so God does not exist.

Argument From Ignorace

: It is when we look only for confirming evidence for our ideas. We ignore, suppress, do not see, or do not test for disconfirming evidence for our ideas.

Cherry Picking

Example: A survey of participants in a workout program gets very positive results because only those with positive results responded.

Cherry Picking

nobody is incorrect because what is true for you is false for me, and we are both correct.

Relativism

Example: “The earth is flat” is true for me and false for you. So, respect my opinion.

Relativisim

: It arises when we make no exceptions for rules that have exceptions.

Absolutism

Example: David believes hard work leads to flourishing. Therefore, he thinks starving children in Africa simply do not work hard.

Absolutism

: It is when a word shifts meaning in an argument.

Equivocation

Example: Feathers are light. What is light cannot be dark. Therefore, feathers are not dark.

Equivocation

: It is invalidly inferring the quality of the whole from the quality of the parts.

Composition

Example: Hydrogen and oxygen are dry, so water is dry.

Composition

: It is invalidly inferring the quality of the parts from the quality of the whole. It is helpful to think of it as the opposite of the composition fallacy. moves up from parts to whole, and division moves down from whole to parts.

Division

Example: Water is wet, so hydrogen and oxygen are wet.

Division

: This is when we support a conclusion by appealing to a person who is not an authority on the subject. Or, it is when we appeal to an authority with whom other authorities disagree.

Appeal to Authority

Example: Peace is the best strategy because Einstein said so. *Note: this is fallacious because Einstein was an expert in physics, not political science.

Appeal to Authority

: This is when we argue that we should not intervene in the “natural” course of events because intervening would be playing God.

Playing God

We shouldn’t legalize euthanasia because we would then be allowing doctors to play God.”

Playing God

KEY TERMS

Guillermo, Rizchel Anne B. · 17問 · 2年前

KEY TERMS