Fallacy Definitions Learned in Part 1
falsely reasoning that someone who is guilty of an offense has no right to instruct others not to do something similar.
Tu Quoque Fallacy
trying to show that a person, idea, or product is good for "ordinary" people because it is "just like you"
plain folks appeal
a fallacy in reasoning that compares two dissimilar things and makes an inaccurate comparison/conclusion based on minor similarities
Weak Analogy
buying something just because it has a higher price, perhaps ignoring quality or other factors
Pricing Bias
a fallacy that forces listeners to choose between two alternatives when more than two alternatives exist.
Either - Or Fallacy
a sense of pride in one's country; the feeling of loyalty to one's country as a whole
patriotism appeal
a fallacy in which a general conclusion is made on the basis of insufficient or biased evidence
Hasty Generalization
the high point and the end point tend to be remembered most strongly for events
Peak-End Bias
condemning an argument because of where it began, how it began, or who began it
Genetic Fallacy.
arguments that distract by making the audience want to be part of the general crowd or one of the "common people"
mob appeal.
the fallacy or the mistaken idea that "knowing" is half the battle; ignoring the extensive work involved to overcome
GI Joe Bias
when someone says that what is true of something as a whole, must also be true of each of its parts
Whole-To-Part Fallacy
like the snob appeal; showing you can have valuable personal connections
inside track appeal
a tendency to fixate on initial information, from which one then fails to adequately adjust for subsequent information
Anchoring Bias
when someone tries to say that what is true of part of something must also be true of the whole thing together.
Part-To-Whole Fallacy
The premise that an idea or policy is good simply because people have accepted or followed it for a long time
Appeal to Tradition
an automatic or habitual belief-like attitude that may be in conflict with one's explicit beliefs
Alief Bias
the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; changing the meaning of a word in the middle of an argument.
Equivocation
the premise that we should buy something or adopt an idea because it is the "latest thing," not necessarily because it is the best thing
Appeal to Hi-tech
an idea or course of action which will lead to something unacceptable, wrong, or disastrous.
Slippery Slope
the suggestion that the use of a product or the adoption of an idea makes one part of an elite group that is better than others
Snob Appeal Propaganda
asking one question which assumes the answer to a second question; has buried in its wording elements of a sneaky presupposition
Loaded Question
an attempt to make someone view a certain item in the same way as they view another item, to link the two in the person's mind
Transfer Propaganda
substituting a person's actual position or argument with a distorted, exaggerated, or misrepresented version of the position of the argument to make it easier to refute or attack.
Straw Man Fallacy
is repeating a message loudly and very often in the hope that it will be believed
Repetition Propaganda
a claim that our viewpoint is correct because many other people agree with it; ad populum; aka Bandwagon Fallacy
Appeal to the People Fallacy
is used when nothing more than a time limit is given as a reason to do something; urgent demand, pressing need
Exigency Propaganda
a fallacy with reasoning that ends and begins in the same place and no evidence is offered; "its true because its true"
Circular Reasoning
suggesting that because everyone believes something or does something, it must be valid, accurate, or effective; aka Appeal to People.
Bandwagon Fallacy
relying on information from someone who has no special knowledge in the area being discussed.
Faulty Appeal to Authority
a fallacy that uses sympathy, concern, or guilt in order to overwhelm one's sense of logic; to get people to accept a conclusion by making them feel sorry for someone.
Appeal to Pity
a statement that attempts to counter an argument by criticizing the person who made it
Ad Hominem Fallacy
a fallacy that attempts to create support for an idea by using manipulative propaganda in an attempt to increase fear and prejudice toward an idea or person
Appeal to Fear
a statement that responds to an argument by introducing an irrelevant detail to divert attention from the point of the argument
Red Herring Fallacy
claiming that something is true (or false) simply because nobody has yet given any evidence to the contrary; ad ignorantiam
Proof by Lack of Evidence
when someone uses a double standard or argues for an unjustified exception.
Special Pleading Fallacy
after this, therefore because of this; improperly assuming that a sequence in time implies a cause and effect.
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc