Hinderances

Basic Human Limitations

100

Dramatic stories of Bigfoot sightings do not prove the existence of Bigfoot.

What is testimonial evidence?

200

If one believes that more murders occur during a full moon, then one will tend to take notice of murders that occur during a full moon and tend not to take notice of murders that occur at other times.

What is Confirmation Bias & Selective Thinking?

300

Police officers should not show a photo of a possible assailant to a witness prior to a police lineup,or the actual memory of the witness may be unconsciously replaced.

What is False Memories & Confabulation?

400

Some people are biased against claims made by scientists because their worldview appears too cold and impersonal.

What is personal biases and prejudices?

500

Stress, fatigue, drugs, and related hindrances can severely affect our ability to think clearly and critically.

Give an example.

What is Physical and Emotional hinderances?

Use of Language

100

Referring to a family as “a bounded plurality of role-playing individuals” or a homeless person as a “non-goal oriented member of society.”

What is doublespeak jargon?

200

An ad that claims a battery lasts “up to”30% longer, but does not say it will last 30% longer, and if it did, longer than what?

What is meaningless comparisons?

300

Intentionally using words to arouse feelings about a subject to bias others positively or negatively, in order to gain influence or power.

give an example.

What is emotive content?

400

The dairy industry cleverly expresses fat content as a percentage of weight,not of calories. Thus 2% “low” fat milk really has 31% fat when fat is measured as a percentage of calories.

What is false implications?

500

A word or expression that can be understood in more than one way.

give example.

What is ambiguity?

600

Using expressions that disarm you from questioning the validity of an argument.

give an example 

What is assuring expressions?

Faulty Logic or Perception

100

Arguing something is true because “it works,”even though the causality between this something and the outcome are not demonstrated.

Give example.

What is pragmatic fallacy?

200

Arguing that two children sharing the same bedroom is wrong because double-celling of criminals in a penitentiary can lead to bad behavior.

What is False analogies?

300

“Because regulators have controlled smoking in public places, their ultimate goal is to control everything else in our lives.”

What is slippery slope fallacy?

400

erroneous perception of the connections between unrelated events 

example needed 

What is a apophenia & Superstition?

500

Believing that there must be life on mars because noone has proven that there is no life on mars 

What is argument from ignorance?

Psychological and Sociological Pitfalls

100

criticizing the person making an argument and not the argument itself 

give an example 

What is Ad hominem fallacy?

200

If one has been accused of wrongdoing, diverting attention to an issue irrelevant to the one at hand.

Give an example.

What is Evading the issue, red herring?

300

“Anyone who supports removing troops from Iraq is a traitor!”

Poisoning the Well

400

An appeal to the popularity of the claim as a reason for accepting the claim 

give an example 

What is ad populum, bandwagon fallacy ?

500

Making irrelevant emotional appeals to accept a claim, since emotion often influences people more effectively than logical reasoning 

 Give example

What is emotional appeals ?

600

"You are either with us,or with the terroists.”

What is fallacy of False Dilemma, Fallacy?

BONUS

100

A company using lengthy and intimidating language to simply express that if your check bounces, your receipt is voided.

What is gobbedlygook?

200

President Clinton’s claim that he did not have “a sexual relationship” with Monica Lewinski, in which he later explained that “engaging in sexual acts” was not“a sexual relationship.”

What hedging and weasel words?

300

Looking up at the stars at nightand perceiving they are as closeas the moon and planets.

What is perception limitations?

400

One may be convinced a “yogi” has the power to levitate objects, but does not see the thin wire attached to them.

Give an example 

What is ignorance?

500

The President took justifiable pride insigning the peace treaty.

What is judgmental words?

600

If someone needs to be paid back tomorrow, and the borrower says “I’ll pay you back soon”, the borrower’s response was too vague. Be aware of the consequences of imprecise claims based on vagueness

What is vagueness?

700

The use of inoffensive words or expressions to mislead,disarm, or deceive us about unpleasant realities.

What is doublespeak euphemism?

800

The fallacy that something with fixed probabilities will increase or decrease depending upon recent occurrences.

What is Gambler's Fallacy?

900

To say “I am afraid of water, so I will take up flying.”

What is Non Sequitur?

1000

Repressing free speech and critical thinking by instilling fear through the threat of lawsuits.

Give an example 

What is Lawsuit Censorship?