Fallacies
slippery slope
if one thing is allowed, it will be the first step in a downward spiral
begging the question
if the writer makes a statement that the very question argued has already been proved
false causality
implies that because one event follows another event, the first event must be the cause of the second
false dilemma
it poses an either-or situation and suggests that only two alternatives exist
faulty use of authority
just because someone is an expert in one area doesn't mean he's an expert in all areas
Animals shouldn't be made to suffer to further scientific knowledge, because making animals suffer is wrong.
non sequiter
dogmatism
pushing one doctrine as the only possible approach or conclusion to an issue
appeals to pity
requests for aid, appeals to our sympathetic feelings
appeals to tradition
says something should be done a certain way simply because it has always been done that way in the past
A cartoon showing people dressed in rags talking about casual fridays getting carried away
slippery slope
bandwagon effect
suggests most everyone else agrees with the speaker- "everyone is doing or saying this, so you should do it too."
false analogy
the assumption that because two things are alike in some ways they must be alike in others
moral equivalence
the suggestion that serious wrongdoings that don't differ from minor offenses
equivocation
when a lie is given the appearance of truth or when in which the truth is misrepresented in deceptive language
straw man
when a person simply ignores a person's actual position and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated, or misrepresented version of that position
Make love, not war.
false dilemma
Beauty ad claiming "For the most beautiful hair, 4 out of 5 hollywood stars use it"
faulty use of authority and bandwagon
A city of Chicago Health Department poster trying to encourage students to take a tuberculosis test states that good grades and good health go together.
false causality, faulty use of authority
oversimplification/ reductive fallacy
an argument that leaves out relevant considerations about an issue to imply that there is a single cause or solution to a complex problem
ad hominem
an attack on the person rather than on the argument or the issue
guilt by association
an unfair attempt to make someone responsible for the beliefs or actions of others
WWII poster with a boot crushing a church saying "we are fighting to prevent this"
appeals to fear
Cartoon: Man is on his cellphone surrounded by others on their phones. He is saying "I don't know I just felt like calling."
bandwagon
appeals to fear
based on evidence that fear is an appropriate response to the issues and that it can move an audience toward the solution to the problem
Ad celebrating the Boston Red Sox's world series victory. The caption underneath the picture says "A team destined to reverse the curse"
begging the question
Nixon's the one.
dogmatism
hasty generaliztion
drawing conclusions on the basis of insufficient information
Guns don't kill, people do.
equivocation
How can we not support railroads? Railroads are the arteries of our nation, and the trains are the lifeblood that bring sustenance to all parts of the body.
false analogy
Lewis Caroll's riddle: "How is a raven like a writing desk? Because Poe wrote both."
false analogy
"careless talks cost lives"
false causality
Non sequiter
when the logical structure of an argument is invalid
red herring
when the speaker brings up a point that has nothing to do with or no relationship to the real issue or subject
exaggeration
where someone tries to add more causes then are relevant