Critical Thinking Unit 4

Ad Hominem Fallacy

When someone attacks the arguer instead of the argument.

Genetic Fallacy

Critiquing the origin of a claim rather than the claim itself.

Straw Figure or Strawman Fallacy

Misinterpreting someone else’s argument or position.

Red Herring

Introducing an irrelevant topic instead of discussing the main issue.

Irrelevant Appeal

An appeal to factors that aren’t relevant to the argument.

Appeal to Unqualified Authority

Trusting an authority on one subject to speak on another without expertise.

Appeal to Force

Implying harm if one does not accept a claim.

Appeal to Consequences

Assessing the reasonableness of an idea based on negative consequences.

Appeal to the People

Establishing an appeal based on widespread belief in a claim.

Equivocation Fallacy

A conclusion resulting from a double meaning of a word in the argument.

Appeal to Ignorance

Using evidence incorrectly or making bad predictions in an argument.

Slippery Slope

Claiming one event leads to disastrous outcomes through a chain of events.

Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy

Selecting evidence that supports a pre-determined conclusion.

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Assuming causation based solely on the sequence of events.

Hasty Generalization

Generalizing about a group too quickly without sufficient evidence.

Fallacies of Presumption

Arguments resting on unjustified assumptions.

False Dilemma

Assuming fewer options exist than actually do, also known as black or white fallacy.

Fallacy of Burden Shifting

Expecting someone else to prove them wrong instead of proving themselves right.

Syllogisms

Arguments consisting of 2 premises and 1 conclusion.

Immediate Inferences

Arguments consisting of 1 premise and 1 conclusion.

Independent Support

Multiple independent inferences that do not work together to demonstrate the conclusion.

Conjoint Support

Mutually dependent premises that support the conclusion.