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Logical Fallacies
oh, how fun
21
English
11th Grade
01/04/2009

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Cards

Term
False Dilemma/Either or
Definition
Either A is right or B is right; B is wrong; therefore A is true
Term
Equivocation
Definition
Misuse of two or more meanings of the same word.
Term
Hypothesis contrary to fact
Definition
a proposition that is not true is used as the basis for a deductive argument
Term
non-sequitur; illicit process
Definition
Conclusion lacks a connection to the premises; conclusion simply does not follow
Term
Faulty Analogy
Definition
Two subjects are compared; although they share certain similarities, their differences may be large enough to destroy the value of the comparison
Term
Faulty Casual Generalizations
Definition
when arguing from effect to cause, fallacies can occur:

1) when we assign an inadequate cause
2) when we fail to allow for the possibility of more than one cause

When arguing from Cause to effect, fallacies occur:
1) When we fail to establish that a potential cause could and did operate in a particular situation

2) when we fail to take into account that the same cause could produce diverse effects
Term
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
Definition
after this, therefore because of this.
Term
hasty generalization
Definition
occurs when we jump to conclusions. evidence may be inadequazte.
Term
Card Stacking
Definition
certain evidence is brought to our attention but other equally important evidence is suppressed or minimized
Term
Appeal to Force
Definition
uses fear of force or the threat of force to cause the acceptance of a conclusion
Term
Argument ad hominem
Definition
switching the discussion from the question of issues to the question of personalities
Term
Argument ad misericordium
Definition
an attempt to arouse strong feelings or sympathy in order to influence a decision
Term
Argument ad populum
Definition
appealing to irrational fears and prejudice in order to prevent audiences from squarely facing the issues
Term
Bandwagon
Definition
Everyone is doing it, so I should too!
Term
begging the question
Definition
assuming in the premise the question we are trying to prove in the conclusion. assumes the truth of something that is not true.
Term
Complex Question
Definition
a form of begging the question, but combines two questions into one
Term
Dicto Simpliciter (unqualified generalization)
Definition
an argument based on a generalization that is totally inclusive and is accepted unequivocally true for all circumstances
Term
Labored hypothesis/occam's razor
Definition
Results when a theory drawn from the evidence presented is more complex or unusual than an alternative theory
Term
Red herring
Definition
steering the discussion to an irrelevant issue in order to avoid the important one
Term
syntactic ambiguity
Definition
resulting either from faulty sentence structure, with parts misplaced, or from pause and emphasis that create different meanings
Term
tu quoque
Definition
"you too!" avoids the subject or deflects questions and accusations by making similar accusations against the opponent. diverts attention from the issue to the opponent by saying their idea is as bad as yours or that they do the bad thing too.
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