Fallacies of Relevance
An argument that attempts to avoid the issue by insulting an opponent with abusive language.
What is ad hominem abusive?
The first question one should ask themselves when analyzing an argument.
What is the issue at hand?
A fallacy of induction that uses numbers or statistics in a way that is too precise to be justified by the situation.
What is fake precision?
An argument that assumes the correct answer is always the middle ground or a compromise between two extremes.
What is fallacy of moderation?
We need an explorer's history month because we should set aside four weeks to recall the great achievements of America's great explorers.
What is begging the question?
An appeal to emotion that distracts by playing on a person's desire to feel "special."
What is snob appeal?
A subgroup of the fallacies of relevance. These introduce an irrelevancy that distracts from the issue at hand, but they do not "attack the source" or appeal to emotion.
What are red herrings?
A fallacy of induction that is based on a weak cause-and-effect connection.
What is false cause?
An argument that assumes the very thing that one is trying to prove.
What is begging the question?
Jenny wants peach ice cream and Justin wants coffee ice cream. We will compromise by getting a bowl of peach and coffee ice cream mixed together.
What is the fallacy of moderation?
An ad fontem argument that states that an idea or belief should be discounted simple because of its source or origin.
What is genetic fallacy?
A begging the question argument that fails because it simple restates the conclusion in new words.
What is circular reasoning?
A fallacy of induction that is based on a weak analogy.
What is a false analogy?
An argument that assumes the qualities of the whole will also be true of every part of the whole. It moves from whole to part in reasoning.
What is fallacy of division?
You have no proof high fructose corn syrup is a cause of the increased obesity in America. Therefore, we will continue to use it as a primary ingredient in Granny's brand pancake syrup until proven otherwise.
What is appeal to ignorance?
An ad fontem argument that tries to discredit an opponent because of his or her background, affiliation, or self interest in the matter at hand.
What is ad hominem circumstantial?
Type of false cause fallacy in which one overlooks the possibility that two causally related things may both result from a third thing and not have a direct cause-and-effect relationship with each other.
What is neglect of a common cause?
A fallacy of induction that overextends a generalization to include facts or cases that are exceptions to it.
What is sweeping generalization?
An argument that assumes that just because something is a certain way, it ought to be that way.
What is the is-ought fallacy?
The blimp is a lighter than air vehicle. That must mean that everything on it is lighter than air.
What is the fallacy of division?
A red herring argument that attempts to disprove an opponent's position by presenting it in an unfair, inaccurate light.
What is the straw man fallacy?
The art of science and reasoning.
What is logic?
A fallacy of induction that makes an unwarranted generalization on the basis of too few examples.
What is hasty generalization?
An argument that assumes the properties of the whole will be the same as the properties of the parts. Whatever the characteristics of the part are, the whole of the thing will have those same characteristics.
What is fallacy of composition?
Did you hear that Lisa found a dead grasshopper in a salad from MacDougal's? They should stop selling those salads immediately.
What is a hasty generalization?