Logical Fallacy Test

False dilemma

- aka the either or fallacy • Only presents 2 choices even when more options exist (no middle ground) - It's one or the other • For us or against us, uses either this or that language • ex: Support Hillary or don't believe in women rts • America : love it or leave it (agree with everything or ur not an American) • Are you okay with legalizing abortions or do u want people to have back alley abortions and die in the streets - I thought you were a good person, but you weren't at church today.

Begging the question

- prompts one to ask the question - must accept premise is true for the claim to be true Aka circular reasoning • A is true bc of B • B is true bc of A • ex: Paranormal Activity is real bc I have experienced it • No proper evidence and hints the other person is wrong • ex: I'm trustworthy just ask Phil, trust me phil always tells the truth • God is true bc the Bible says so, Bible is true bc it's God-breathed • My son is rude bc he does what rude kids do - Everyone wants the new iPhone because it is the hottest new gadget on the market! - Smoking cigarettes can kill you because cigarettes are deadly.

Appeal to tradition

Argument deemed correct on the basis that it is correlated with a past tradition • Way it's always been done - True just bc of tradition - Tradition makes something rt or wrong Ex: The town has always had a parade on the 4th of July and it has always proceeded through the town square. We cannot have construction this summer because we cannot change the route of the parade. - Fam was all lawyers so I need to become a lawyer too - Gay marriage is wrong bc marriage has always been between a man and a woman

Appeal to ignorance

Assumption of a fact bc the contrary has no evidence • No evidence doesn't mean it's true • True : no proof it's false • Burden of proof, who's responsibility is it to prove it • It's true bc u can't disprove it • ex: Moon isn't made of spare ribs but haven't proved it's core is spare ribs so it must be bc there's no evidence it isn't • Can't prove global warming is caused by people so it isn't • She didn't say I couldn't borrow her car so I figured it'd be fine for the weekend • Trump isn't a real human but from the race of lizard • If we raise taxes, it will hurt small businesses • If a Democrat is elected, the government will pay for all of my utility bills and I will get a new cell phone for free from the government. • Children in some countries are recruited into their nations' armies at very young ages. They are indoctrinated to believe that people of other ethnicities or beliefs are evil and should be eliminated. The children have no way of knowing that this is not true, and therefore their ignorance is played upon as they are raised to believe false information.

Faulty analogy

Comparing two things that are not comparable in all aspects (The characteristics of the two things actually differ in the area that is being compared) • Assume since two or more things are alike in one or more respects, then they are alike in other respects • ex : Believing in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is like believing in the resurrection of zombies from the dead (Alike : both risen from the dead) • Must have coffee in mornings and addicts must have heroine, u guys are practically heroine addicts • He runs effective business so he can run the gov effectively • Whiskey and water are both liquid and sold in stores so at half time either will get you ready for the second half

Appeal to nature

Genetic fallacy - way u r made/born or the way the world works so it's justifiable - Arguing something is justifiable bc it happens naturally, or it's not rt bc it doesn't happen naturally - Natural is superior to man-made (in the food industry) (natural sugars) • Valid bc it's natural - ur born with it • Ex: Cocaine is naturally made from a plant so it isn't bad for you • Homosexuality is immoral bc its unnatural - It is ok to throw poo because I saw some monkeys throwing poo at the zoo • Lush bath bombs are the best thing ever created bc they r vegan - We should not help the poor or weak. Survival of the fittest.

Hasty Generalization

Make assumption based off small sample size (stereotyping and induction) • Ex: All middle easterners are terrorists • White people can't jump • My father smoked four packs of cigarettes a day since age fourteen and lived until age sixty-nine. Therefore, smoking really can't be that bad for you. • Four out of five dentists recommend Happy Glossy Smiley toothpaste brand. Therefore, it must be great. • You visit a new country and the first person you meet in the airport is rude. You send a message to a friend back home that everyone in this new country is rude.

Appeal to Purity

Make things black or white, there's no gray area in between Must be pure to be apart of group A way to exclude people or things that don't fit in the argument Also called no true Scotsman • No real Scotsman puts sugar on his porrage, I like sugar on my porrage, you are not a true Scotsman • Dominicans love rice and beans, I am Dominican and I don't like rice and beans, you are not a true Dominican • Real christians support American causes, I am a Christian and I don't, ur not a real Christian • All dodgers, fans have at least 25 articles of dodgers clothing, I don't, ur not a true fan • Democrats support gun control, I'm a democrat and I don't, ur not a true democrat - Members of the UbaTuba White Men's Club are upstanding citizens of the community, Then why are there so many of these members in jail?, They were never true UbaTuba White Men's Club members.

Straw Man

Substituting a person's argument with a distorted,exaggerated, or misrepresented version of the position of the argument • Rather fight man or straw man (substituted) - Stretch ur argument to make something it's not - Misrepresents the other argument to force u to define the edges of ur argument • ex: Caroline: Friend shouldn't be so rude • Jenna: can't believe Caroline is choosing to be better friends with new girl than girls who've always known her • Can I go to the movies, no you haven't finished ur chores, u never let me do anything fun with my friends, I never said u could never go anywhere with ur friends • Off campus lunch should be an 1 hour, we should have 2hr lunch and stay and have dinner at school • Cut budget, why do u want to kick people out of their homes and take food from the mouths of single moms trying to make a living? - Pamela is the class secretary. She says that she thinks that the class should do more service projects. Mark says he can't believe that Pamela doesn't support the annual school dance.

Gambler's fallacy

the belief that the chances of something happening with a fixed probability become higher or lower as the process is repeated. - The reasoning that in a random situation, outcome can be effected by previous outcomes • ex: Coin toss : Always tails, next time it will probably be tails • Had 3 girls so next one will probably be a girl or boy • On a test: Keep getting b, start to think it has to be something else • Every time I do this for the bio test, I nailed it, I will nail the next • I failed these philosophy test, this ones mine • We've lost this whole time, we will win one. (Come up lucky some time or run out of luck) - The last time they spun the wheel, it landed on 12. So, it won't land on 12 this time

Equivocation

when a key term or phrase in an argument is used in an ambiguous way, with one meaning in one part of the argument and then another meaning in another part of the argument. • Word is used as if it has the same meaning Ex: The sign said "fine for parking here", and since it was fine, I parked there. (Fine has two meanings: money fine v. something that is permissible) - "I want to be absolutely clear with the people of the world: the United States does not torture." (George W. Bush, 2006) (Definition of torture in the US excludes some practices included in other definitions of torture employed by other countries) • Hangout, Party, Date, Friends, No big deal • You can only go see the pg movie, not the r movie. U watch pg for 7 sec and then watch the r movie. In the car, mom asks how was the movie? Great (u are thinking of one movie but she is thinking of another) did u see the pg movie? Ya • Were u home by curfew last night? Ya (it wasn't our home but I went back our twenty minutes afterwards) • Bill accused of affair: I didn't have sexual relations with a women (did things but it wasn't a relationship)

False authority

• Aka Appeal to authority • Claimed to be true bc someone in authority believes it to be true • Doesn't present evidence but relies on the credibility of the authority • Ex: 3 out of 4 dentists would recommend this toothpaste or paper plates or this is a better nutritional plan than the other • Celebrity : The Earth is flat • Skin care products recommended • Drinking is morally wrong, sites sermon so people go by the pastor - A commercial claims that a specific brand of cereal is the best way to start the day because athlete Michael Jordan says that it is what he eats every day for breakfast.

Slippery slope

• An argument that suggests that taking a minor action will lead to major and insane consequences • Do one thing wrong, it ruins everything else (cascade effect) - • Ignores potential cut-off points • ex: Stop allowing colleges to increase tuition every year, next thing u know it will cost more to attend college then to buy a new home • If i make the exception for you, then I have to make it for everyone • If we allow homosexuals to marry, then humans and pets and cars will marry next, we must draw the line somewhere • Where does it end? • If we limit how much sugar can be put in food, what's next: hitler • Make pot illegal bc pot leads to heroine - If we allow the children to choose the movie this time, they are going to expect to be able to choose the school they go to or the doctors they visit. - If we let this child bring the permission slip late, there is no reason to ever set a deadline for anything again!

Dogmatism

• Authoritative and don't leave room for argumentation • Ex: Bc I said so • Bugerfy has the best burgers, no question • Only ur evidence is given, don't consider the opposing argument - you need to go to college to be successful

Non sequitur

• Claim A made • Evidence for claim A • Therefore claim C is true Statement Does not relate to anything else said, illogical, not connected in a clear way to anything before it, irrelevant, not in sequence, does not follow (((BAD LOGIC)))), make a claim off of evidence that does not fully support it • ex : Buddy Burger has greatest food in town Buddy's burger was voted #1 by the paper Therefore, Phil, the owner, should be president or he should be in charge of FDA • (Makes a good burger but it doesn't qualify him to be president) proper logic: claim a is true • People like to walk on the beach. Beaches have sand. Floors in homes should have sand. • Arrested for dui 10yrs ago, he is an alcoholic • I read about a pit bull attack, my neighbor owns a pit bull, my life is in danger • Opponent used to be a wrestler, wrestlers are good at lying and pretending to be something they are not, therefore my opponent is good at pretending to be something he's not

Red Herring

• Direct argument to another issue so u can better respond to it - distracting - Red herring is a smelly fish used to trick hunting dogs • ex: Late for curfew so talk about weather • Not ready for Bed time but ask parents questions • When he was elected people were laid off and economy dropped, but you want to take away everyone's guns • Economy to attacking other person (political) or something good you've done • Yelled at by parents but say what about her

False compromise

• Inverse of false dilemma • Truth lies somewhere in the middle • Should increase taxes and others keep them so we'll just increase them a little • ex: Build bridge to connect town, no its harmful so we'll just build half or a one way bridge • Kill people on death row, abolish death penalty then u just kill half • (Both get what they want but rlly neither do) • He wanted to live in the mountains and she wanted to live in the city so they live in the suburbs where no one is happy

Appeal to emotion

• Manipulation to get them on ur side of the argument by arousing feelings or guilt - Appeal to pity, fear, flattery, or wishful thinking, patriotism, responsibility, duty • ex: Commercials with Puppies and kittens are suffering so you'll adopt or give to their charity (ASPCA) • Politics: Make up videos to get people on ur side and make the other person look bad • Will be safe if someone breaks in and u have a gun • Pics of opponent then pics of war planes and atomic bombs • Pasivism : when someone breaks in and pregnant wife is there, u just stand still • 55 yr old man shot v. Women pregnant with twins shot (pity) • Won't support heath care plan so you'll put gmas on the street begging for money • Talk in a baby voice - A real estate ad that shows a happy young family with children moving into the home of their dreams.

Ad hominem

• Personal attack directed against person not position • Go after their reputation, not their position • ex: Trump and Hillary degrading each other rather than discussing the policy • Crooked Hillary • We need to lower taxes, opponent points out she is an ex-con (not relevant to policy) • Can't trust her for secretary of finances bc she failed out of high school - A mother who tells the pediatrician that she doesn't trust his judgment because he's never been a mother.

Moving the goal posts

• Raising the bar • Refuse to accept others argument, done by losing side - Just have to show me this is true, well also there's this • Shifting standard by which u can be proven wrong or rt • ex : If evolution is real, show me an example of it occurring right now, gives Example, Doesn't count must occur over long periods of time • Obamas birth certificate wasn't good enough, they needed more proof • For job: u have to have a phd, I have a phd, now u have to have an Olympic gold metal

Band wagon

• When an argument is based off the appeal to the growing popularity of the idea as a reason to say it's true • Logic overridden by popularity • Ex: People become Christians to get in touch with their true inner being • Warriors won a bunch of games so a lot of people become fans and claim they are the best team • Starbucks is crowded so they have the best coffee • #1 growing product in America • People think Vaccines aren't 100% safe so maybe something about argument is true bc so many believe this • Quinoa and avocados were boosted bc people said it was healthy - Katie likes to read and would rather do that than play sports. Her friends make fun of her and tell her that reading is for nerds. Katie stops reading so much and starts to play sports more.

False Cause

• When an argument tries to establish a casual connection • You presume that a relationship between two things mean that one is the cause of the other • X causes y, y is right/wrong, so x is right/wrong • If a happens before b then a causes b • Correlation is not causation • Both go up therefore one caused the other • ex: Temps rise, pirates decrease, pirates cool the world • Everyday I eat cereal always, one time I ate a muffin instead and there was an earthquake • Ate waffles instead and didn't do well on test, they caused it • Crime went down, we did programs, so crime went down • 1972: Kids who would be born into difficult scenarios were never born, crime dropped, it did bc kids weren't born • Ate this, feel sick, caused by what I ate • Drinking fresh water will keep you well. • Watching TV that close will make you go blind, so move back!

Fallacy Fallacy

• When true statement is supported by false arguments • Just bc the argument is false, doesn't mean the statement is wrong • Ex: dogs are animals bc the sky is green • Still true even though argument is bad • True statement with false support/ claims • Americans consume too much sugar and should decrease the amount they consume bc my postman told me so - false authority : u lose and r wrong (fallacy fallacy) • Disqualify on bad logic: point is still true tho • Getting to mars is 1 in a million, I know that bc the mailman told me , ur wrong (fallacy fallacy) • Can't trust beaver bc he owns a cat (non sequitor or false cause) • Arrested for fraud and embezzlement (true but used bad logic : ur wrong so argument is wrong bc he used a fallacy (fallacy fallacy) • Spend 1 million on class rooms for more course offerings and teachers and other says on vending machines no bc then kids will eat more candy and get fat (slippery slope) • My opponent is wrong and uses fallacy so, therefore I'm rt (fallacy fallacy)