Logical Fallacies Quiz

Study Notes

Fallacies and Biases in Argumentation

Ad Hominem: Attacks the individual rather than addressing the argument. Example: “He’s a rebel and a Communist, so his views on government are flawed.”
Ad Baculum (Appeal to Force): Uses threats or intimidation to persuade. Example: “Without signing this peace agreement, we will go to war.”
Appeal to Emotion: Relies on emotional responses like pity or sympathy to strengthen an argument. Example: “These charges are harassment; they are affecting my family.”
Appeal to the Popular: Asserts that an idea is valid simply because many accept it. Example: “Everyone your age has a girlfriend; you should get one too.”
Appeal to Tradition: Justifies a belief based on its historical continuity. Example: “Marriage has traditionally been between a man and a woman; it should remain so.”
Begging the Question (Petitio Principii): Involves circular reasoning, assuming the premise as true. Example: “I have the right to free speech, so you can’t stop me from talking.”
Post Hoc: Incorrectly assumes a cause-and-effect relationship between unrelated events. Example: “Since you bought that sweater, everything has gone wrong; get rid of it.”
Fallacy of Composition: Infers what is true for a part is true for the whole. Example: “Robberies in this district prove the city is full of thieves.”
Fallacy of Division: Assumes what is true for the whole applies to its parts. Example: “You come from a family of doctors, so you must excel in this course.”
False Analogy: Draws incorrect parallels between two ideas or terms. Example: “My dog barks; therefore, the santol tree must bark because it has a bark.”
Dicto Simpliciter: Assumes a generalized truth applies universally. Example: “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my children.”

Types of Biases

Correspondence Bias (Attribution Effect): Judges personality based on actions without considering external factors. Example: “Soldiers in the war are all bloodthirsty murderers.”
Confirmation Bias: Prefers information that supports existing beliefs while ignoring contrary evidence. Example: “I can’t accept the view that there is no God because I’m a Christian.”
Framing: Highlights a specific aspect of a problem while neglecting others. Example: Investigators focus on pilot error as a cause of a plane crash while disregarding other factors.
Hindsight Bias: Views past events as predictable and ascribes patterns to historical incidents. Example: Critiquing Magellan's venture as overconfident and careless looks back with hindsight.
Conflict of Interest: A person’s vested interests may influence their stance on an issue. Example: A daughter’s opinion on her father’s practices may be biased due to their relationship.
Cultural Bias: Evaluates events through the lens of one’s cultural norms. Example: Criticism of placing aged parents in homes reflects differing cultural values regarding family.