Quiz 2b

__________ is the fallacy of assigning two different meanings to the same significant word in an argument.

Equivocation

True or False? An argument is synonymous with persuasion.

False

In philosophy—and in any other kind of rational inquiry—accepting a conclusion (statement) without good reasons is an elementary mistake in reasoning.

True

This classic argument—"The Bible says that God exists; the Bible is true because God wrote it; therefore, God exists"—is an example of begging the question.

True

The fallacy of arguing that a claim must be true simply because many people believe it is known as

appeal to popularity

If you assume that a set of statements is true, and yet you can deduce a false or absurd statement from it, then the original set of statements as a whole must be false. This kind of argument is known as

reductio ad absurdum

The systematic use of critical reasoning to try to find answers to fundamental questions about reality, morality, and knowledge is called

the philosophical method

If inductive arguments succeed in lending very probable support to their conclusions, they are said to be weak.

False

Philosophy, being an ancient art, cannot be applied to modern social problems such as racism.

False

When you read a philosophical essay, you are simply trying to glean some facts from it as you might if you were reading a science text or technical report.

False

The fallacy of __________ is arguing erroneously that a particular action should not be taken because it will lead inevitably to other actions resulting in some dire outcome.

slippery slope

The fallacy of misrepresenting a person's views so they can be more easily attacked or dismissed is called the

straw man fallacy.

Questions like "What is knowledge?" and "What is truth?" are mainstays in the branch of philosophy known as

epistemology

Arguments that are supposed to give probable support to their conclusions are

inductive

Philosophers provide reasons for thinking their ideas are plausible—that is, they give us

arguments

A good argument must have (1) solid logic and (2)

true premises