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Name that Emotion
Let's get Ethica-Logical?
Logic? Is that you?
They Said What??
100

Slippery Slope - one thing happens, and the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing

100

THIS FALLACY PORTRAYS TODAY'S TINY MISSTEP AS TOMORROW'S SLIDE INTO DISASTER.

Slippery Slope

100

THIS FALLACY ATTACKS THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSON RATHER THAN THE CLAIMS THEY MAKE

Ad Hominem

100

THIS TYPE OF FALLACY ATTACKS ARGUMENTS THAT NO ONE HAS MADE, AND PORTRAYS THEIR OPPONENTS' POSITIONS AS MORE EXTREME OR LESS COHERENT THAN THEY ARE.

Straw Man

100

P1: "I have helped a lot in this group project, I deserve credit."

P2: "So your grade is more important to you than our friendship, huh?"

P1: "What? I never said that?"

P2: "Oh, so I am crazy and imagined it, huh??"

Straw Man - P2 misrepresents P1's argument in order to make it easier to knock down, like a "straw man"

200

Appeal to False Authority - Because it assumes that Justin and Peyton are experts on cameras and equipment because they are photographed often. 

200

THIS TYPE OF FALLACY ASSUMES THAT  A CLAIM IS TRUE BECAUSE OTHERS BELIEVE IT. THIS FALLACY URGES PEOPLE TO FOLLOW THE SAME PATH AS EVERYONE ELSE.

Bandwagon Appeals

200

THIS FALLACY HAPPENS WHEN WRITERS OFFER THEMSELVES OR OTHER AUTHORITIES AS SUFFICIENT WARRANT FOR BELIEVING A CLAIM. 

Appeals to False Authority

200
THIS FALLACY IS A HALF TRUTH OR ARGUMENT THAT GIVES LIES AN HONEST APPEARANCE. THESE ARE USUALLY BASED ON TRICKS OF LANGUAGE. 

Equivocation

200

"That person finished the exam early and I'm still working... they are either really smart or really stupid"

Either/Or Choices - Oversimplifying an issue so there seems to be only two choices. 

300

Hasty Generalization - The woman makes an assumption based on insufficient evidence. If she smells like bacon, the men will come running. 

300

THIS FALLACY RELIES UPON STRIKING FEAR INTO AUDIENCES IN ORDER TO PERSUADE THEM. 

Scare Tactics

300

THIS FALLACY HAPPENS WHEN WRITERS OR SPEAKERS SHOW ONLY ONE SIDE OF A STORY - IN THEIR FAVOR. 

Stacking the Deck

300

AN ARGUMENT WHOSE CLAIMS, REASONS, OR WARRANTS DO NOT CONNECT LOGICALLY.

Non Sequitur

300
P1: "Mom, can I have some money to buy new clothes?"

P2: "What can we define as 'new' when it comes to clothes?"

Red Herring - The mother has heard the argument and diverted from it by asking another question. This throws the daughter off of the "trail."

400

Ad Hominem - The man (Kurt's dad from Glee - omg) attacks Direct TV's character, claiming that they hate puppies... and have bad service. 

400

THIS FALLACY USES AN EXCESS OF TENDER EMOTIONS TO DISTRACT AUDIENCES FROM FACTS OR REASON. 

Overly Sentimental Appeals

400

THIS FALLACY IS AN INFERENCE DRAWN FROM INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE. EX: BECAUSE A FEW PEOPLE IN A GROUP ACT A CERTAIN WAY, ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP ARE INFERRED TO ACT SIMILARLY.   

Hasty Generalization

400

THIS FALLACY CHANGES THE SUBJECT ABRUPTLY OR INTRODUCES AN OFF-TOPIC CLAIM OR FACT TO THROW AUDIENCES/READERS OFF THE TRAIL.

Red Herring

400

"I am not going to talk about how unprepared I feel for this exam. I will not dwell on the anxiety I feel whenever I think of failing. I am flat out not going to talk about doing poorly on it." 

Paralipsis - When writers/speakers claim that they will not talk about something, thus doing the thing they say they are not going to do. 

500

Overly Sentimental Appeals - uses emotions to distract readers from facts. Does the money actually go to help animals? How? What charities? - It doesn't matter as long as I help Echo!

500

STRATEGIES THAT SEEK TO GET SOMETHING ACCOMPLISHED. HOWEVER, CAN BECOME FALLACIOUS WHEN REDUCED TO SIMPLE TERMS. ONE OR THE OTHER.

Either/Or Choices

500

THIS FALLACY IS WHEN A WRITER ASSERTS OR ASSUMES THAT A PARTICULAR POSITION IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE ONE. THIS IMPLIES THAT THE TRUTH IS SELF-EVIDENT AND NEEDS NO SUPPORT.

Dogmatism

500

THIS TYPE OF FALLACY IS OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "ARGUING IN A CIRCLE"

Begging the Question

500
P1: "What is the key to having a successful college?"

P2: "Accepting the right students!"

P1: "How do you know you accepted the right students?"

P2: "You know because the college is successful!"

Begging the Question/Circular Reasoning - When an argument repeats what was assumed beforehand and does not arrive at a new conclusion.