English Fallacious Arguments

Front 1

fallacious argument

Back 1

persuasive but does not logically support its conclusion

Front 2

Appeal to authority

Back 2

appeals to an authority who is not an expert on the issue under discussion.

Example: Abortion to save the mother is irrelevant because a pediatric surgeon has never seen a case in which such a dilemma has risen.

Front 3

Appeal to authority- Snob appeal

Back 3

Appeals to people's desire for prestige and exclusivity

Example: Pamilla's not for everyone.

Front 4

Appeal to fear

Back 4

Implicitly threatens the audience.

Example: Will there be a JOB when YOU leave college?

Front 5

Appeal to pity

Back 5

attempts to win sympathy

Example: Professor, I must get an A in your class, If I don't, then I won't get into Harvard!

Front 6

Begging the question

Back 6

offers no actual support; restates the premise as the conclusion in different words.

Example: Students like rock and roll because it the most enjoyable music around.

Front 7

loaded question

Back 7

asks a question that contains an assumption that must be proven

Example: Have you started to pay your fair share of taxes yet? <--- implies that you may not have paid any and wants an answer to the assumption.

Front 8

question begging-epithet

Back 8

uses a single word to assert a claim that must be proven. This is just emotional language that is typically biased.

Examples: reactionary, negligent, warmonger, deadbeat.

Example sentence: “This criminal is charged with violently murdering the innocent victim,”

It would less objective to say “This suspect is charged with killing the other person.”

Front 9

Equivocation

Back 9

shifts the meaning of a term within a single argument.

Example. We are told not to discriminate in employment. But we must discriminate when we hire an individual or rent an apartment.

The change in meaning is from discrimination of beliefs being illegal to discrimination of a person being okay based on how they act and will benefit and bring forth longevity for a company or bring the best outcome for a landlord.

Front 10

False analogy

Back 10

compares two or more things that are not in essence similar and suggests that since they share certain characteristics, they share others as well.

Example: I don't want to die falling off a rock, but you can die falling in the bathtub too.

Front 11

false cause

Back 11

claims a casual relationship between events relies solely on the basis of a chronological relationship.

Example: I joined the Confederacy for two weeks. I deserted. The confederacy fell because I left.

Front 12

Hasty generalization

Back 12

Generalizes from a sample that is too small or unrepresentative of the target population

Front 13

personal attack

Back 13

attacks the person representing the argument rather than the argument itself

Example: Because she is extremely wealthy, the mayor cannot represent our city.

Front 14

Tu quo-que

Back 14

Discredits an argument because the behavior of the person proposing it does not conform to the same position.

Example: Dad, do not tell me to not drink. You drink all the time!

Front 15

Poisoning the well

Back 15

makes an assertion that intimidates the audience and therefore discourage an open discussion. Basically a mood dampener

Example: Every patriotic American supports legislation condemning the desecration of the flag. <-- no one wants to not be patriotic.

Front 16

Slippery slope

Back 16

Claims that an action should be avoided because it will lead to a series of extremely undesirable consequences

Example: Gun restrictions lead to total prohibition of gun ownership that ends in virtual slavery at the hands of a totalitarian regime.

Front 17

special pleading

Back 17

judges and labels the same act differently depending on the person or group who performs the act

Example: The supplying of weapons to Central America was an act of aggression. However, our act of of military aid to the region was an effort of peace to help the Freedom Fighters.

Front 18

Straw man

Back 18

Creates and then attacks a distorted version of the opposition's argument

Example: The democrats want to feed everyone, care for everyone's children, and provide medical care for everyone. And they're going to take 50% of every dime you make to do it.

<-- attacks own argument that was incorrectly made up. Was not even formed by the opposition.

Front 19

False Dilemma

Back 19

when there is more than one option than the one presented. The argument wants to make the audience believe that the only option is theirs.