Glossary Terms List #4 AP Lang

Ad Hominem

Latin for “to the man,” this fallacy refers to the specific diversionary tactic of switching the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker.

Ad Populum (Bandwagon)

This fallacy occurs when evidence boils down to “everybody’s doing it, so it must be a good thing to do.”

Appeal to False Authority

This fallacy occurs when someone who has no expertise to speak on an issue is cited as an authority.

Backing

In the Toulmin model, this consists of further assurances or data without which the assumption lacks authority.

Begging the Question

A fallacy in which a claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt. It asks whether the support itself is sound.

Circular Reasoning

A fallacy in which the argument repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence.

Deductive Reasoning

This is a logical process wherein you reach a conclusion by starting with a general principle or universal truth (a major premise) and applying it to a specific case (a minor premise). The process of deduction is usually demonstrated in the form of a syllogism

Either/Or (False Dilemma)

In this fallacy, the speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices.

Enthymeme

Essentially a syllogism with one of the premises implied, and taken for granted as understood.

Equivocation

A fallacy that uses a term with two or more meanings in an attempt to misrepresent or deceive.

Faulty Analogy

A fallacy that occurs when an analogy compares two things that are not comparable.

Hasty Generalization

A fallacy in which a faulty conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence.

Inductive Reasoning

From the Latin inducere, “to lead into,” this is a logical process wherein you reason from particulars to universals, using specific cases in order to draw a conclusion, which is also called a generalization.

Logic

Reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity. This is relative to the situation and audience.

Logical Fallacy

These are potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses in an argument. They often arise from a failure to make a logical connection between the claim and the evidence used to support it.

Post Hoc (Ergo Propter Hoc)

This fallacy is Latin for “after which therefore because of which,” meaning that it is incorrect to always claim that something is a cause just because it happened earlier. One may loosely summarize this fallacy by saying that correlation does not imply causation.

Reasoning

The process of connecting logical evidence to a given claim.

Rebuttal

In the Toulmin model, This gives voice to possible objections.

Red Herring

a kind of fallacy that is an irrelevant topic introduced in an argument to divert the attention of listeners or readers from the original issue.

Reservation

In the Toulmin model, this explains the terms and conditions necessitated by the qualifier.

Straw Man

A fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an idea.

Syllogism

A logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion.

Toulmin Model

An approach to analyzing and constructing arguments created by British Philosopher Stephen Toulmin in his book

Warrant (Assumption)

In the Toulmin model, this expresses the assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience.