Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Fallacies


Ad Hominem fallacy: responding to an argument attacking a person’s character rather than the content of their argument.

Circular Reasoning: Someone argues the point they’re trying to make by supporting it with other reasons that are supported by their original point.

Ad Nauseum: Making the argument by repetition; saying the same thing over and over again.

Appeal to Tradition: “We do this because that’s how we’ve always done it.”

Appeal to Ignorance: Arguing that something is true just because it hasn’t been proven false.

Appeal to Numbers: Citing statistics to prove an argument

Appeal to Popularity: “All the cool kids are doing it.”

Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: “with this because of this” – just because two things happen together doesn’t mean they’re related or one causes the other.  (e.g., just because a student attends RHS doesn’t mean she has two legs)

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: just because something happens after something else doesn’t mean the first thing causes the second.

Appeal to Authority: the fallacy of asserting an idea as correct just because a person/entity in power says it is.
Red herring- The fallacy of distraction which brings up a new topic to divert the original discussion.

Slippery Slope- Assuming that you have to give the whole show if you give one person the point. 

Straw Man- Putting words into someone's mouth to make their argument seem worst then it really is.

Naturalistic Fallacy- Using nature as a reason to go from fact to value.

You Too- The idea that two wrongs make a right.

Begging the Question- (the same as Circular Reasoning) 

Non Sequitur- Something that doesn't go in sequence. An illogical leap to an unrelated idea.

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