Argument Terms and Logical Fallacies Study Guide

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary terms and concepts related to argumentation, reasoning, and logical fallacies.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

A cognitive bias where individuals with low ability at a task overestimate their ability.

Myths (NJC)

Fictions or lies that individuals are invested in and live by.

Misinformed vs. Uninformed

Misinformed individuals are aware of their lack of knowledge, whereas uninformed individuals are not.

Sacrosanct beliefs

Cradle-born beliefs that become integral parts of an individual's identity.

Bias

A conscious or unconscious predisposition to believe in a certain way.

Worldviews (Dunning)

The underlying beliefs about how society should operate, including individualist, communitarian, hierarchist, and egalitarian views.

Moral Spheres (Haidt’s)

Key moral concerns: harm, fairness, community, authority, and purity (CHAP-F).

Toulmin Method

A method of structuring arguments including claim, qualification, grounds, warrant, backing, and rebuttal.

Claim

The argument being made within the Toulmin method.

Ethos

The credibility of the writer or speaker in an argument.

Pathos

The emotional appeal within an argument.

Logos

The logical appeal or reasoning within an argument.

Ad Hominem

A logical fallacy that attacks the person instead of the argument.

Slippery Slope

A fallacy suggesting that a small first step will lead to a chain of related events culminating in a significant outcome.

Oversimplification

Reducing complex situations to overly simple terms.

Either/Or Fallacy

Presenting only two choices when more exist.

Straw Man

Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.

Red Herring

Introducing irrelevant topics to divert attention from the original argument.

Bandwagon

A fallacy that concludes something is true because everyone believes it.

Appeal to Authority

Citing an authority figure who is not qualified to speak on the subject at hand.

Connotation

The implied or suggested meanings associated with a word.

Denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a word, without any emotional associations.

Premise

is a statement or assumption upon which an argument is based. A premise provides support for a conclusion.

Deductive Reasoning

A logical process where a conclusion is drawn from a set of premises that are considered to be true. It typically moves from general principles to specific cases.

False Premise

Creates faulty logic. A statement that is not true, leading to incorrect conclusions in an argument.

Inductive reasoning

Use facts and experiences to locate patterns or inferences that form conclusions. Works from specific to general.

Abductive reasoning

With limited knowledge or observation, we make the best hypothesis we can. Typically, the simplest conclusion possible.It involves inferring the most likely explanation for a set of observations, often used in scientific reasoning.