| Question | Answer |
| False Cause | Post hoc, ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore because of this); if A precedes B, it need not therefore be the cause of B; A may have been the only sufficient cause of B; it may also have been one of several necessary causes; A and B may be entirely coincidental |
| Composition and Division | The whole of something will have the same quality as each of its parts; the belief that each part will have the same quality of the whole |
| Hasty Generalization | Basing conclusions on inadequate evidence; conclusion could be justified by a different set of proofs |
| Slanted Language | Words with positive or negative connotations; can add a persuavsive emotional charge; words may be used to express genuine and appropriate feeling or may be the vehicle for mindless prejudice; lead peope in one direction; generate a strong emotional response |
| Ambiguity | 2 meanings of 1 saying; heart of jokes |
| Obfuscation | May obscure behind their brilliant facade the fact that the passage of speech or prose in which they occur means practically nothing; using such great language that it confuses the audience; audience doesn't think about the substance; used to intimidate the audience |
| False Analogy | X is (adjective) because Y is (adjective); weakens an argument if it is improper, too vague, or if it is stretched too far |
| Hypothesis Contrary to Fact | What one supposes would have happened if one thing or another had not happened instead; pure speculation; cannot be tested by logic |
| Appeal to Ignorance | Argumentum ad ignorantiam; claim that since one has never proved a claim it must therefore be false; how do you know that it is/is not? |
| Appeal to Pity | Argumentum ad misericordiam; tug on the heartstrings |
| Appeal to Personal Factors | Argumentum ad hominem; focusing on a person's lifestyle or other personal qualities on may evade the true issue at hand; positive or negative thrust; poisoning the well (to undercut an opponent's credibility or to assassinate his character); tu quoque (you're another) - to charge another when you are charged with wrongdoing |
| Appeal to Popular Sentiment | Argumentum ad populum; associating cause with the popular virtues; unfulfillable promises |
| Irrelevant Appeals to Authority | Appealing to an authority figure by agreeing with what they believe in or say |
| Impressing with Large Numbers | Try to make one's claim reasonable by saying that "everybody" agees; uncritical use of numbers can easily lead to absurdity |
| Appeal to Force | Someone may imply that your argument cannot lie true because his own is in the majority |
| Misuse of Humor | To blind and befuddle; subversive activity (a kind of logical guerrilla warfare) and is a confession of weakness in the saboteur's position |
| Red Herring | Once introduced into a discussion, they tend to sidetrack everyone |
| Complex Question | May ignore or cover up an even larger, more urgent question; question within a question |
| Black and White Thinking | Either...or...; reducing all possible options to two extremes; leaves little doubt about which option he or she considers. |
| Oversimplification | "It all boils down to...", "It's a simple question of..." |
| Begging the Question | Assuming in a definition or in the premises of your argument the very point you are trying to prove |
| The Bare Assertion | Refusing to back up a disputed claim with proper reasons |
22 cards - created dec 15, 11:36am
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