Truth, Claims, Arguments & Logical Fallacies

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture on truth, facts, opinions, claims, arguments, fallacies, and biases.

Truth

A statement that agrees with facts and reality and can be verified by sufficient, rigorous evidence.

Fact

A proposition observed or proven to be real or truthful through direct evidence or measurement.

Proposition

A declarative statement that can be judged as either true or false.

Opinion

A personal belief or feeling not yet proven or universally accepted as true.

Claim

A statement presented as true that still requires supporting facts, logic, or evidence.

Conclusion

A judgment reached by reasoning from certain stated facts or premises.

Belief

A conviction accepted as true without clear, scientific proof, often based on personal or spiritual experience.

Explanation

A set of statements that assume a claim is true and provide reasons for why it is true.

Argument

A series of statements intended to persuade by giving reasons that support a claim or opinion.

Fallacy

Faulty reasoning in an argument that weakens its validity.

Ad Hominem

A fallacy that attacks the person making an argument instead of addressing the argument itself.

Appeal to Force (Argumentum ad Baculum)

A fallacy that uses threats or the prospect of undesirable outcomes to advance an argument.

Appeal to Emotion (Argumentum ad Misericordiam)

A fallacy that relies on pity or sympathy rather than factual evidence.

Appeal to Popularity (Argumentum ad Populum)

A fallacy that claims something is true or acceptable because many people believe it.

Fallacy of Composition

An error that assumes what is true of a part must be true of the whole.

Bias

A tendency or inclination that affects objectivity and distorts judgment.

Conflict of Interest

A bias arising when a person or group has a vested stake in the issue being discussed.

Cultural Bias

Interpreting events or issues solely through the standards of one’s own culture.

Correspondence Bias

Judging a person’s character based on actions alone, ignoring external influences.

Confirmation Bias

Seeking or accepting information that supports one’s existing beliefs while disregarding contradictory evidence.

Evidence

Verified data or observations used to support or refute a statement or claim.

Logic

The systematic process of reasoning; valid only if founded on true and reliable premises.

Premise

A foundational statement in an argument from which a conclusion is drawn.