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Fallacies
Thumbnail guide to fallacies
20
English
11th Grade
12/03/2011

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Cards

Term
Ad Hominem (against the man)
Definition
an attack against a person rather than against the accuracy or reasonableness of what he or she is saying
Term
Appeal to Authority
Definition
a reference to an "authority," but with at least one of the following problems: (1) the question is not one hwere an authority's opinion is relevant (e.g. choice of soft drink),(2) the person cited is not an expert on the subject, (3) the person is an expert, but biased.
Term
Appeal to Pity
Definition
"Tug on the hearstrings" by appealing to a tender emotion.
Term
Appeal to Power
Definition
This really isn't fallacy because it abandons reason and threatens use of force or power instead. It is usually an attempt to get someone to act in a certain way rather than to change his or her beliefs.
Term
False Dichotomy (either-or)
Definition
Suggestin that there are only two choices when actually the situation is more complex and there are probably more choices
Term
Gambler's fallacy
Definition
assuming that there is a statistical probability that something will happen just because it has not happened recently
Term
Hasty Generalization
Definition
Drawing a conclusion based on insufficient evidence
Term
Invincible Ignorance
Definition
This argument defends a position simply by refusing to acknowledge the force of the arguments used against it. In effect, the arguments say, "If your arguments are sound, then my position is false, but my position isn't false, so your arguments can't be sound." This is a fallacy of cicularity because it assumes what is in question, namely the truth of the position being defended.
Term
Bandwagon
Definition
Argues that one should think or act in a certain way because many others are doing so.
Term
Circular Reasoning
Definition
What appears to be a support for a proposition is really just a restatement of the proposition.
Term
False Analogy
Definition
Comparing two things that are not really very similar at all
Term
Non-sequitur (it doesn't follow)
Definition
Even if you accept the first or second premise of this chain of reasoning, the conclusion does not automatically follow **This fallacy is realted to post hoc ergo propter hoc.
Term
Poisoning the Well
Definition
This is a kind of ad hominem attack in which the negative information is provided before the person makes a statement or claim.
Term
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc (After that, therefore because of that)
Definition
The claim that because even B happened after event A, it was caused by event A.
Term
Red Herring
Definition
Distracting the listener/reader by throwing up an irrelevant point instead of responding to one where, presumably, you don't have a good answer.
Term
Special Pleading
Definition
Arguing that rules that apply in one case should not apply in another, very similar case.
Term
Staw Man
Definition
In order to avoid trying to refute a strong argument against you/your case, you throw up a weaker, usually less relevant argument and demolish that one instead.
Term
Thin Edge (Slippery slope)
Definition
If one step is taken in a certain direction, it will inevitably lead to other steps.
Term
Tu Quoque (you too!)
Definition
Rejection of a person's argument because he himself has a same characteristic or problem
Term
Two Wrongs
Definition
A person justifies his/her own mind doing something wrong because some other wrong because some other wrong was (or might be) done. Even if this other wrong really is a wrong, it's irrelevant as a justification.
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