Questions and Answers
What is the Argument from Ignorance Fallacy?
What is the definition of the Slippery Slope Fallacy?
If we allow homosexuals to marry, people will eventually be marrying raccoons and trees.
What does the appeal to emotion fallacy imply?
Many people I know believe in God, so God probably exists.
What is the concept of Begging the Question or Circular Reasoning?
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What does the Composition Fallacy suggest?
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What is the Lottery Fallacy about?
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A Hasty Generalization Fallacy is when a conclusion is drawn from insufficient evidence.
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What is the definition of the Equivocation Fallacy?
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What does the Ad Hominem Fallacy state?
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What does the Division Fallacy imply?
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What does 'Non Sequitur' mean?
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What is the Playing God Fallacy?
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What does the Appeal to Dubious/Inappropriate Authority Fallacy imply?
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What does the Post Hoc ergo Propter Hoc Fallacy suggest?
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What does the Red Herring Fallacy illustrate?
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What is the essence of Cherry Picking Fallacy?
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What does the Relativist Fallacy entail?
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What is identified in the Absolutism Fallacy?
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What does the Straw Man Fallacy mean?
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What does the Appeal to Nature Fallacy imply?
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What is the Genetic Fallacy?
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What does Black and White Thinking refer to?
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Study Notes
Informal Fallacies Summary
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Argument from Ignorance Fallacy: Asserts that a proposition is true simply because it cannot be proven false—like the existence of aliens.
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Slippery Slope Fallacy: A chain reaction argument that suggests allowing one action will lead to extreme and unlikely consequences, such as marrying non-humans.
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Appeals to Emotion & Ad Populum: Uses popularity as evidence of truth; belief in God is justified by its widespread acceptance.
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Begging the Question/Circular Reasoning: A logic circle where the conclusion is included in the premise, as seen in biblical assertions of God’s existence.
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Composition Fallacy: Assumes what is true for individual parts must be true for the whole, incorrectly stating that water (a combination of hydrogen and oxygen) is dry.
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Lottery Fallacy: Concludes cheating must be involved if someone wins against overwhelming odds, overlooking the possibility of chance.
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Hasty Generalization: Draws a sweeping conclusion from a small sample size; meeting three mean redheads leads to the claim that all redheads are mean.
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Equivocation Fallacy: Advances an argument based on shifting definitions of a word, confusing "light" in terms of weight vs. color.
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Ad Hominem Fallacy: Attacks the person instead of their argument, rejecting a vegetarian viewpoint based solely on the individual's dietary choices.
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Division Fallacy: Applies characteristics of a whole to its parts incorrectly, assuming that because water is wet, its components are also wet.
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Non Sequitur: Highlights a logical disconnect between premises and conclusions, indicating an argument fails to follow logically.
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Playing God Fallacy: Implies ethical issues arise when one intervenes in matters considered to be outside human jurisdiction.
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Appeal to Dubious/Inappropriate Authority: Cites an authority figure whose expertise does not necessarily apply to the subject, like aligning Einstein's authority with peace strategy.
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Post Hoc ergo Propter Hoc: Infers causation from correlation, suggesting HDL cholesterol levels directly influence heart attack rates without further evidence.
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Red Herring Fallacy: Distracts from the real issue by redirecting the conversation to a different, often irrelevant topic.
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Cherry Picking Fallacy: Selectively presents evidence that supports a claim while ignoring contradictory evidence, often used in political discourse.
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Relativist Fallacy: Proposes that truth varies from person to person, undermining objective realities with subjective interpretations.
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Absolutism Fallacy: Generalizes specific situations to all, such as assuming all cities require tax hikes based merely on his own city’s needs.
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Straw Man Fallacy: Misrepresents an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack, focusing on an exaggerated claim rather than the actual stance.
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Appeal to Nature Fallacy: Justifies actions, like eating cows, based on their naturalness, conflating natural processes with moral rightness.
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Genetic Fallacy: Dismisses an argument based solely on its origin, assuming an idea derived from a science fiction film cannot be valid.
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Black and White Thinking: Presents a false dichotomy in philosophical discussions, limiting complex views to two extreme positions.
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Test your understanding of informal fallacies with these flashcards. Each card presents a specific fallacy along with a definition and example. Improve your critical thinking skills by recognizing these common logical errors.