Theology III: Logical Fallacies
Order by
10 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Ad hominem | "to the man" attacking someones character or motives instead of their position Our governor thinks we need to raise taxes and I disagree because he's an idiot You only believe that women should have equal rights because you are a woman Anyone who opposes gay marriage hates gay people You only voted for Barack Obama because you're black |
| Non Sequitur | "it does not follow" your conclusion does not follow your premises All men are mortal, and Bob is a man, therefore Bob has a car I don't like x, therefore x is not true Your toilet overflowed because you're dumb You're blonde, so you must be stupid |
| Arguing in a circle | "the begging question" assuming as true what you are trying to prove as true The Bible is the word of God, and I know that because it says so in the Bible, and I can trust what the Bible says because it is the word of God, and I know it is the word of God because it says so in the Bible, etc. etc. Democracy is the best form of government because it gives power to the people |
| self contradiction | your statement invalidates itself There is no truth All beliefs and ideas are irrational Every thought you have is just the result of some chemical reaction occurring in your brain and therefore is neither true nor false I'm not talking to you right now Dr. Phil says it is impossible for men to go bald |
| red herring | parent fallacy Changing the subject of an argument when you think you are losing it or have no evidence to back up your position "I know I said I would extend your curfew if you did the laundry, but you were so mean to me a few weeks ago!" "Some people think that businesses can't afford to raise the minimum wage, but I disagree because people need to make more money." |
| straw-man | Making a caricature of someone's position that is easy to refute Christians believe that God is an old, invisible bearded man who lives in the sky somewhere People who believe in evolution think that one day a monkey gave birth to a human baby Sr. Maureen won't let us carry backpacks because she thinks we will carry bombs and blow up each other's lockers |
| argument from authority | Assuming that something is true only because people have believed it to be true for a long time Christianity has to be true because my whole family is Christian "All men are created equal" is a true statement because our founding fathers said so Abortion must be okay because our government allows it |
| argumentum ad populum | Assuming something is true or good just because a lot of people happen to believe it is true or good Sex before marriage is OK because most people do it Most people in my school gossip so gossip must be morally acceptable Going with the crowd; does it prove anything? 'Appealing to the mob'; make it absurd; make someone feel left out/ intimidated; "nobody thinks that" Underage drinking is okay because most teenagers do it |
| ambiguous terminology | using a word or words in multiple ways All men are created equal, and Susan is not a man, therefore Susan is not created equal. (men) Using a word ambiguously to manipulate it; depends on context Foreigners are not welcome in our country; Mike is a foreigner to Utah, so therefore he is not welcome in our country |
| reductio ad absurdum | "reduce to absurdity" Following out the logical consequences of someone's argument to discover its absurd consequences Doing long division and getting a bigger answer/ knowing something is obviously absurd; reasoning and logic in arguing; Socrates did this- questioned authority; what does that mean/ lead to? |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.