Fallacies

Front 1

Scare tactic

Back 1

When fear, not based on evidence or reason, is being used as the primary motivator to get others to accept an idea, proposition, or conclusion.

Front 2

Either or choice

Back 2

When only two choices are presented yet more exist, or a spectrum of possible choices exists between two extremes. False dilemmas are usually characterized by “either this or that” language, but can also be characterized by omissions of choices. Another variety is the false trilemma, which is when three choices are presented when more exist.

Front 3

Slippery slope

Back 3

When a relatively insignificant first event is suggested to lead to a more significant event, which in turn leads to a more significant event, and so on, until some ultimate, significant event is reached, where the connection of each event is not only unwarranted, but with each step it becomes more and more improbable. Many events are usually present in this fallacy, but only two are actually required -- usually connected by “the next thing you know...”

Front 4

overly sentimental appeals

Back 4

This is the general category of many fallacies that use emotion in place of reason in order to attempt to win the argument. It is a type of manipulation used in place of valid logic.

Front 5

Bandwagon Appeal

Back 5

Using the popularity of a premise or proposition as evidence for its truthfulness. This is a fallacy which is very difficult to spot because our “common sense” tells us that if something is popular, it must be good/true/valid, but this is not so, especially in a society where clever marketing, social and political weight, and money can buy popularity.

Front 6

Appeals to false authority

Back 6

Using an authority as evidence in your argument when the authority is not really an authority on the facts relevant to the argument. As the audience, allowing an irrelevant authority to add credibility to the claim being made.

Front 7

Dogmatism

Back 7

The unwillingness to even consider the opponent’s argument. The assumption that even when many, perhaps millions, of other people believe otherwise, only you can be correct. This is closely related to the Either/Or fallacy as it’s based on the usually false assumption that competing theories or perspectives cannot co-exist within single systems. The assumption that those who disagree with you are “biased”, while you are “objective”.

Front 8

Ad Hominem Argument

Back 8

Attacking the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself, when the attack on the person is completely irrelevant to the argument the person is making.

Front 9

Stacking the decks

Back 9

When writers give only the evidence that supports their premise, while disregarding or withholding contrary evidence, they are stacking the deck. (Science students may know this as "data beautification," the habit of recording only those results that match what an experiment is expected to predict.)

Front 10

Hasty generalization

Back 10

Drawing a conclusion based on a small sample size, rather than looking at statistics that are much more in line with the typical or average situation.

Front 11

Faulty casualty

Back 11

A post hoc, ergo propter hoc argument is one that establishes a questionable cause-and-effect relationship between events. In other words, because event Y follows event X, event X causes event Y. For instance, you would be making a post hoc argument if you claimed,

Front 12

Begging the Question

Back 12

Claim made on grounds that can't be accepted as true because those grounds themselves are in question

Hint 12

Circle

Front 13

Equivocation

Back 13

Using an ambiguous term in more than one sense this making argument misleading