13 Questions
What is the primary tactic used in the red herring fallacy?
Relies on distraction: attention is drawn away from the issues being discussed.
Which fallacy involves misrepresenting an opponent's position to make it easier to attack?
The straw man fallacy.
What is the name of the fallacy that involves arguing for a conclusion based on the lack of conflicting evidence?
The argument from ignorance.
What is the primary goal of the appeal to force fallacy?
To convince through intimidation.
Which fallacy involves directing an argument against the person rather than the proposition they are defending?
The argument against the person.
What is the fallacy of arguing that something is true because it hasn't been proved false, or false because it hasn't been proved true?
Appeal to ignorance
What type of fallacy involves citing an expert in a field, but the expert has no legitimate claim to authority on the matter?
Appeal to inappropriate authority
What fallacy occurs when a casual relationship is presumed to exist, but it does not?
False cause
What type of fallacy involves overgeneralizing based on a few cases, and is related to stereotypical thinking?
Hasty generalization
What fallacy involves assuming that generalizations apply to a particular case, ignoring the specific circumstances?
Accident
What type of fallacy involves asking a question that assumes the truth of a conclusion?
Complex question
What fallacy occurs when the meaning of a word or phrase is confused, accidentally or deliberately, within an argument?
Equivocation
What fallacy involves making a conclusion about the whole based on the attributes of the parts, or vice versa?
Composition or Division
Study Notes
Fallacies of Relevance
- Appeal to the populace: an argument that relies on the belief that many people believe something, so it must be true.
- Appeals to emotion: an argument that uses emotions instead of reasons to convince, often appealing to pity.
- The red herring: a distraction technique that diverts attention away from the main issue.
- The straw man: misrepresenting an opponent's position to make it easier to argue against.
- Argument against the person: attacking the person who defends a proposition rather than the proposition itself.
- Appeal to force: trying to convince through intimidation rather than reason.
- Irrelevant conclusion: a conclusion that misses the point of the premise and fails to address the topic.
Fallacies of Defective Induction
- Argument for ignorance: arguing for a conclusion based on lack of conflicting evidence, assuming something is true because it hasn't been proved false.
- Appeal to inappropriate authority: using an expert's opinion to support a conclusion, but the expert has no legitimate claim to authority on the matter.
- False cause: assuming a causal relationship between two events when there is no evidence to support it.
- Hasty generalization: overgeneralizing based on a single case or very few cases, leading to stereotypical thinking.
Fallacies of Presumption
- Accident: assuming that generalizations apply to a particular case, ignoring the specific circumstances of that case.
- Complex question: asking a question that assumes the truth of a conclusion.
- Begging the question: circular reasoning, assuming the truth of a conclusion in the premises.
Fallacies of Ambiguity
- Equivocation: using the same word or phrase with different meanings within an argument, accidentally or deliberately.
- Amphiboly: ambiguity or confusion resulting from grammatical construction.
- Accent: shifting the meaning of an argument by changing the emphasis.
- Composition: making a conclusion about the whole based on the attributes of the parts.
- Division: making a conclusion about the attributes of the parts based on the attributes of the whole.
Test your understanding of common fallacies of relevance, including appeal to the populace, appeal to emotion, red herring, straw man, and argument against the person.
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