Fallacies

Front 1

argument

Back 1

reasoning process in which a conclusion is inferred from some evidence

Front 2

argumentum ad baculum (argument to the club)

Back 2

fear tactic that use violence or the threat of violence

Front 3

argumentum ad hominem (argument to the man)

Back 3

attacks person intead of argument

Front 4

argumentum ad hominem (argument to the man)

Back 4

DA is only prosecuting to get famous
you cant trust a C in C if he hasnt served in combat

Front 5

argumentum ad ignorantiam (argument to ignorance)

Back 5

true/false because it has never been proven otherwise

Front 6

argumentum ad ignorantiam (argument to ignorance)

Back 6

There is life on mars because no one has proven otherwise

Front 7

argumentum ad misericordian (argument to pity)

Back 7

appeals to audiences pity

Front 8

argumentum ad misericordian (argument to pity)

Back 8

I need a B in this class or i wont get into flight school
Parading a weeping wife and children in front of the jury

Front 9

argumentum ad personam (argument to the person)

Back 9

appeal to certain biases, preferences, or prejudices in the audience

Front 10

argumentum ad personam (argument to the person)

Back 10

ignore the fact that the bottle bill will reduce litter. only mention that the bill will increase the cost of drinks. this appeals to money conscience voters

Front 11

bandwagon appeal (argumentum ad populum)

Back 11

biases and attitudes pervasive through a group

Front 12

bandwagon appeal (argumentum ad populum)

Back 12

everybody is doing it. so should we.
30 million Frenchmen cant be wrong

Front 13

begging the question

Back 13

claiming as true a conclusion that has not been proven. fault of circular reasoning

Front 14

begging the question

Back 14

dont worry about lending me money because Ill be able to use that money to invest and make the money back to repay you

Front 15

complex or loaded question

Back 15

requires a more complex answer

Front 16

complex or loaded question

Back 16

Have you stopped beating you wife?

Front 17

composition and division

Back 17

-what applies to the parts applies to the whole thing
-what applies to the whole thing applies to each and every part

Front 18

composition and division

Back 18

-college is composed of young people so college is young in spirit.
-because the mission of USNA is to produce perfect officers, every graduate is a perfect officer

Front 19

consensus gentium (agreement of people)

Back 19

true because most people believe it

Front 20

consensus gentium (agreement of people)

Back 20

throughout history...
many cultures...

Front 21

Contradiction

Back 21

if A = B, you cannot assert that A is not B

Front 22

Contradiction

Back 22

economic equality produces social and political equality
we are responsible for the crimes committed by others because they are a product of the the society that we have created

Front 23

converse accident

Back 23

generates a conclusion from examples that are not typical

Front 24

converse accident

Back 24

USNA profs are all interesting and funny because my history professor is interesting and funny

Front 25

creating false needs

Back 25

over emphasizing a need or creating a new need as in advertisement

Front 26

creating false needs

Back 26

if you want your kids to be smart, buy them a PC.
designer clothes.
fake vs. real diamond

Front 27

deductive reasoning

Back 27

conclusion based solely on the premises taken collectively

Front 28

deductive reasoning

Back 28

men = apes, matt = man, therefore matt = ape

Front 29

either or fallacy (false dichotomy)

Back 29

oversimplifying to two choices

Front 30

either or fallacy (false dichotomy)

Back 30

you are conservative or liberal.
you can be a mother or have a career

Front 31

equivocation

Back 31

using the same term in two different senses

Front 32

equivocation

Back 32

democracy = government by the people, single party socialist state is a democracy, therefore single party socialist state is a state where people govern themselves

Front 33

extension

Back 33

distorts an argument by extending or exaggerating it

Front 34

extension

Back 34

some mids are not prepared well enough in math before they get to USNA. opponent claims that other man is belittling mids and insulting their high school profs.

Front 35

fallacy

Back 35

error that makes an argument unreliable

Front 36

fallacy of the golden past or golden future

Back 36

appeal to a time in the past when things were better. nostalgia for old times combined with disillusion of the present

Front 37

fallacy of the golden past or golden future

Back 37

a new wave is approaching
people cannot articulate themselves like they used to

Front 38

false analogy

Back 38

based on superficial resemblances

Front 39

false analogy

Back 39

Cant teach an old dog new tricks.
The tall man lied. We can no longer trust tall men.

Front 40

floating comparison

Back 40

comparative or superlative comparison that is not connected to anything

Front 41

floating comparison

Back 41

more doctors prescribe aspirin

Front 42

gambler's fallacy

Back 42

ignores laws of probablity

Front 43

gambler's fallacy

Back 43

I am due for a good poker hand.
Coin flipping.

Front 44

genetic fallacy

Back 44

something is identical to that from which it originates.
explain something solely in terms of its source.
reject something because its origins are unknown/suspicious

Front 45

genetic fallacy

Back 45

finish

Front 46

guilt by association

Back 46

making hasty generalizations. people's character can be judged by their associates

Front 47

guilt by association

Back 47

employee of Enron cannot be trusted because the company he worked for lied

Front 48

hasty generalization

Back 48

jumps to a conclusion from insufficient evidence

Front 49

hasty generalization

Back 49

All women are bad at math because the four girls in my class all failed the last test.
I had a bad time with my ex-girlfriend; therefore all women are bad.

Front 50

inadequate causal relations

Back 50

accepting contributory cause as a sufficient cause
attributing another effect as the cause

Front 51

inadequate causal relationship

Back 51

I cant swim because no one in my family can swim.
I failed because the teacher did not like me.

Front 52

inadequate causal relations

Back 52

I cant swim because no one in my family can swim.
I failed because the teacher did not like me.

Front 53

inductive reasoning

Back 53

logical process that reaches a conclusion that contains more information than the observations that it is based on

Front 54

inductive reasoning

Back 54

I have only seen black crows; therefore all crows are black.

Front 55

misleading context

Back 55

when context is changed or ignored

Front 56

misleading context

Back 56

the movie review - It is "the best movie ever."
real review - It is the best movie ever at making me want to vomit.

Front 57

name-calling

Back 57

invective.
Unjustified labels flung at an opponent.

Front 58

name-calling

Back 58

pinko
faggot
lilly liver liberal
Bush/Cheney lite

Front 59

non causa pro causa (there is no cause of the kind that has been given as the cause)

Back 59

something caused an effect by association

Front 60

non causa pro causa (there is no cause of the kind that has been given as the cause)

Back 60

Wearing the lucky shirt to the football game because the team won last time that you wore the shirt

Front 61

nonqualification

Back 61

premises are stated too absolutely

Front 62

nonqualification

Back 62

college bball

Front 63

non-sequitur

Back 63

it does not follow.
an inference or conclusion that does not follow from its premisses

Front 64

post hoc ergo propter hoc (after this therefore because of this)

Back 64

because B follow A, A caused B

Front 65

post hoc ergo propter hoc (after this therefore because of this)

Back 65

If you drink coke, you get popular.
Luther left priesthood so that he could marry.
Hoover caused the Depression

Front 66

Red Herring

Back 66

diversionary tactic. introduces irrelevant topic to arouse a response (emotional)

Front 67

red herring

Back 67

(hunting dogs)
you accuse me of cheating my taxes, but does not everyone?
Who cares if the general lost this battle. He has won so many battles before!

Front 68

skewed sample

Back 68

when sample is not representative

Front 69

skewed sample

Back 69

bad polling

Front 70

slippery slope

Back 70

scare tactic.
one step leads to the next and the next and results in disaster

Front 71

slippery slope

Back 71

legalizing medical marijuana.
letting loggers in will lead to deforestation.

Front 72

special pleading

Back 72

double standard. makes an exception to a rule without justification

Front 73

special pleading

Back 73

x are y. X is an x but X is alos a B. therefore x is not a y.
Adm doesnt show ID.

Front 74

stacking evidence

Back 74

cooking data. slanting. selecting or emphasizing certain evidence in favor of a particular cause

Front 75

stacking evidence

Back 75

reporting only on the bad cops

Front 76

stereotype

Back 76

characteristic supposedly common to a group

Front 77

straw man

Back 77

fixing an argument. misrepresenting an opponents position to make it seem weaker than it really is

Front 78

straw man

Back 78

opponent supposedely "accuses" man of being too old for the job

Front 79

tu quoque (you also)

Back 79

inappropriate appeal to intellectual or behavioral consistency.
accusing opponent of being hypocritical.
answering a charge that his opponent is guilty of the same charge.

Front 80

undistributed middle

Back 80

middle term of syllagism is not distributed.

Front 81

undistributed middle.

Back 81

communist regulate. democrats regulate. democrats are communists.

Front 82

using authority instead of evidence (argumentum ad verecundiam)

Back 82

if jesus said so then it must be true.
Doctors recommend aspirin.