Thinking skills

• Ad hominem


  This argument attacks the arguer instead

  of attacking the argument
• Straw person


  This argument misrepresents or distorts an

  opposing view in order to dismiss it.
• Slippery slope


  This argument reasons from one

  possibility through a series of illogical

  steps to an extreme conclusion.
• False Dichotomy


  This argument attempts to get you to

  support a particular course of action on

  the basis that there is only one

  alternative.
• Sweeping generalisation


  An argument that moves from some or

  many to all, creating a stereo-type.
• Hasty generalisation


  reasoning from insufficient

  evidence
• Tu Quoque


  An argument that attempts to persuade

  you of a conclusion that is wrong on the

  basis that someone else is doing it.
• Post Hoc


  Event A happened then Event B happened, therefore Event A caused Event B
• Two Wrongs


  An argument that attempts to justify one

  harmful thing on the basis that another

  harmful thing has been accepted.
• Conflation


  Bringing together two or more things and

  treating them as the same.
• Confusing Necessary and Sufficient

  Conditions

  An argument that reasons that a sufficient

  condition is necessary and vice versa.
• Circular Argument


  An argument in which one of the reasons

  is the same as the conclusion, or where

  you have to assume that the conclusion is

  correct in order for the reasons to make

  sense.