Critical Thinking Skills: Fallacies in Arguments

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to fallacies in arguments as taught in the Critical Thinking Skills lecture.

Fallacy

An argument that appears to be valid but is not.

Slippery Slope

The false assumption that one thing must lead to a series of others.

Strawman Fallacy

Misrepresenting the opponent’s position by attacking a weaker version of it.

Hasty Generalization

A generalization based on insufficient or unrepresented evidence.

Non Sequitur

A conclusion that does not logically follow from the preceding statements.

Weak / False Analogy

An argument based on misleading or implausible comparisons.

Either/Or Fallacy

The suggestion that only two alternatives exist when there are more.

Circular Reasoning

An argument that restates the point in other language instead of providing evidence.

Tu Quoque Fallacy

Rejecting an argument because the person advancing it fails to practice what they preach.

Ad Hominem

An attack on the person proposing an argument rather than on the argument itself.

Red Herring

An argument that distracts from the real issue by bringing up an irrelevant topic.

Bandwagon Appeal

A claim that an idea should be accepted because many people favor it.

Appeal to Authority

Appealing to an irrelevant authority who is not an expert in the field in question.

Appeal to Emotion (Pity)

Appealing to accept a conclusion out of pity for the arguer.

Appeal to Emotion (Fear)

Persuading by invoking feelings of fear and insecurity.