 | Term | Definition |
| |
adhominem |
a personal attack that draws attention away from the issues under consideration |
| |
appeal to tradition |
an argument that says something should be done a certain way because its always been done that way |
| |
bandwagon |
an argument saying in effect everyone's doing or saying or thinking this so you should too |
| |
begging the question |
a statement that assumes what needs to be proved; the argument is built upon an undemonstrated claim |
| |
equivocation |
an assertion that falsely relies on a term in two different senses |
| |
false analogy |
the assumption that because two things are alike in some ways they must be alike in other ways |
| |
false authority |
the assumption that an expert in one field can be a credible expert on another |
| |
false cause |
the assumption that one because event follows another the first is the cause of the second |
| |
false dilemma |
stating that only two alternatives exist when in fact there are more than two |
| |
guilt by association |
an unfair attempt to make someone responsible for the beliefs and actions of others |
| |
hasty generalization |
a generalization based on too little evidence or on exceptional or biased evidence |
| |
nonsequitor |
a statement that does not follow logicaly from what has been said; that is a conclusion that does not follow from the premises |
| |
oversimplification |
a statement or argument that leaves out relevant consideration about an issue to imply that there is a single cause or solution to a complex problem |
| |
red herring |
dodging the real issue by drawing attention to irrelevant issues |
| |
slippery slope |
the assumption that if one thing is allowed it will be only the first step in a downward spiral |
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