Critical Thinking Chapter 5

Why are appeals to tradition fallacious?

It argues that a claim must be true just because it's part of a tradition. Tradition, like the masses, can be wrong.

Why is an argument that relies on the straw-man fallacy a bad argument?

It distorts, weakens or oversimplify someone's position so it can be more easily attacked or refuted.

What type of ad hominem argument is put forth as a charge of hypocrisy?

tu quoque (or "you're another").

What is the fallacy of begging the question?

The attempt to establish the conclusion of an argument by using that conclusion as a premise.

What are the two forms of the fallacy of division?

A person reasons that what is true of the whole must also be true of the parts. When we assume that what is true of a group is true of individuals in the group.

What is the rhetorical device of stereotyping?

An unwarranted conclusion or generalization about an entire group of people.

What is the genetic fallacy?

Arguing that a claim is true or false only because of its origins.

What is the fallacy of composition?

Arguing that what is true for the parts must be true of the whole.

What is the fallacy of slippery slope?

Arguing, without good reasons, that taking a particular step will inevitably lead to a further, undesirable step (or steps).

What is the proper response to an appeal to ignorance?

Maintain a neutral stance in which you lack knowledge of, and hold off taking on an opinion until you have obtained some knowledge of the claim.

Can the origin of a claim ever be relevant to deciding its truth or falsity?

No, in most cases, the source of an idea is irrelevant to its truth.

Why are people often taken in by false dilemmas?

People are often taken in by false dilemmas because they don't think beyond the alternatives laid before them.

What is the rhetorical device of innuendo?

Suggesting something denigrating about a person without explicitly stating it.

What is the fallacy of red herring?

The deliberate raising of an irrelevant issue during an argument.

What is the fallacy of equivocation?

The use of a word in two different senses in an argument.

What is rhetoric?

The use of non-argumentative, emotive words and phrases to persuade or influence an audience.

What is the burden of proof?

The weight of evidence or argument required by one side in a debate or disagreement.

Why are appeals to popularity fallacious?

They assume that a proposition is true merely because a great number of people believe it.

Why are appeals to the person fallacious?

They attempt to discredit a claim by appealing to something that's almost always irrelevant to it: a person's character, motives, or personal circumstances.

What are the two forms of the appeal to ignorance?

Thinking that a claim must be true because it hasn't been shown to be false. Thinking that a claim must be false because it hasn't been proved to be true.

What are fallacies of irrelevant premises? What makes them irrelevant?

Those premises have no bearing on the truth of the conclusion. An argument with those fallacies may seem to offer reasons for accepting the conclusion, but the "reasons" have nothing to do with the conclusion.

What is the fallacy of poisoning the well?

X has no regard for the truth or has non- rational motives for espousing a claim, so nothing that X says should be believed—including the claim in question. The idea is that just as you can't get safe water out of a poisoned well, you can't get reliable claims out of a dis- credited claimant.

According to the text, is it ever legitimate to use rhetoric and argument together?

Yes