Midterms: Lesson 9 Fallacies

• these  are common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument.

  fallacies
• this trick, literally translated as “to the man,” subtly or overtly distorts a person’s character, destroying their credibility no matter how valid their argument is.

  ad hominem
• it is is an invalid attempt to discredit an opponent by answering criticism with criticism — but never actually presenting a counterargument to the original disputed claim.

  tu quoque
•  this trick implies that the manipulator shares the same views as the audience.

  ad populum
• this fallacy occurs when someone draws expansive conclusions based on inadequate or insufficient evidence.

  hasty generalization
• •  refers to any claim that doesn’t follow from its premises or is supported by irrelevant premises.
  • it does not follow

  non sequitur
• non sequitur also known as

  irrelevevant reason
• it is committed when one argues, without providing adequate evidence, that a relatively insignificant event or course of action will lead to a chain of consequences, eventually resulting in some significant outcome.

  slippery slope
• this refers to the different ways of fallaciously using the statements or opinions of authority figures in order to support a conclusion.


  appeal to authority/ argumentum ad verecundiam
• appeal to authority

  argumentum ad verecundiam
• appeal to pity

  ad misericordiam
•  occurs when a person attempts to gain support for their claim or position by arousing the feeling of pity in their opponent and audience.

  appeal to pity / ad miserecordiam
• appeal to ignorance


  argumentum ad ignorantiam
• it  is a logical fallacy in which someone argues either for or against something because there is no contradicting evidence. In other words, it’s based on the mistaken assumption that a lack of evidence is evidence.

  appeal to ignorance / argumentum as ignorantiam
• occurs when your opponent over-simplifies or misrepresents your argument (i.e., setting up a "straw man") to make it easier to attack or refute.

  strawman
•  is an attempt to divert the attention away from the relevant issue by introducing another, irrelevant issue.

  red herring / ignoratio elenchi
• red herring


  ignoratio elenchi
• it occurs when a limited number of choices, outcomes, or views are presented as the only possibilities when, in fact, more possibilities exist.

  false dichotomy
• also known as the either-or fallacy, false dilmme, all-or-nothing fallacy, and black-and-white thinking.

  false dichotomy
• • it occurs when the conclusion of an argument is assumed in one of its premises.
  • the validity of this type of argument requires its own conclusion to be true.

  begging the question or petitio principii