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Logical fallacies/Page 1: Difference between revisions

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== Perfect solution fallacy ==
== Perfect solution fallacy ==
== Poisoning the well ==
== Poisoning the well ==
''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_the_well Wikipedia definition]
This fallacy attempts to discredit a person before their arguments are even heard.
*'''Argument''': Nothing that anyone who publishes with FAIR or FARMS can be believed, because they are "apologists," and so inherently untrustworthy.
*'''Rebuttal''': An "apologist" may have a very good argument or a very bad one.  One is only intellectually honest if he/she is willing to consider the argument ''on its own merits'' regardless of who raised it.  This tactic is used to avoid confronting arguments with which the critic does not wish to deal.  All authors have biases; "apologists" are at least up front about theirs, while critics try to play the role of disinterested 'seekers of truth,' though they are as much "apologists" for their own position.
== Proof by verbosity ==
== Proof by verbosity ==
== Questionable cause (also called ''non causa pro causa'') ==
== Questionable cause (also called ''non causa pro causa'') ==

Revision as of 04:49, 20 September 2005

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Ad hominem (also called argumentum ad hominem or personal attack)

Including:

ad hominem abusive (also called argumentum ad personam)

ad hominem circumstantial (also called ad hominem circumstantiae)

ad hominem tu quoque (also called you too argument)

Amphibology (also called amphiboly)

Appeal to authority (also called argumentum ad verecundiam or argument by authority)

Appeal to belief

Appeal to consequences (also called argumentum ad consequentiam)

Appeal to emotion

including:

Appeal to fear (also called argumentum ad metum or argumentum in terrorem)

Appeal to flattery

Appeal to the majority (also called argumentum ad populum)

Appeal to pity (also called argumentum ad misericordiam)

Appeal to ridicule

Appeal to spite (also called argumentum ad odium)

Two wrongs make a right

Wishful thinking

Appeal to motive

Appeal to novelty (also called argumentum ad novitatem)

Appeal to probability

Appeal to tradition (also called argumentum ad antiquitatem or appeal to common practice)

Argument from fallacy (also called argumentum ad logicam)

Argument from ignorance (also called argumentum ad ignorantiam or argument by lack of imagination)

Argument from silence (also called argumentum ex silentio)

Argumentum ad baculum (also called appeal to force)

Argumentum ad crumenam (also called appeal to wealth)

Argumentum ad lazarum (also called appeal to poverty)

Argumentum ad nauseam (also called argument from repetition)

Argumentum ad numerum

Base rate fallacy

Bandwagon fallacy (also called appeal to popularity, appeal to the people, or argumentum ad populum)

Begging the question (also called petitio principii, circular argument or circular reasoning)

Cartesian fallacy

Conjunction fallacy

Correlative based fallacies

including:

Fallacy of many questions (also called complex question, fallacy of presupposition, loaded question or plurium interrogationum)

False dilemma (also called false dichotomy or bifurcation)

Denying the correlative

Suppressed correlative

Dicto simpliciter

including:

Accident (also called a dicto simpliciter ad dictum secundum quid)

Converse accident (also called a dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter)

Equivocation

False analogy

False premise

False compromise

Fallacies of distribution:

Composition

Statistical special pleading

Gambler's fallacy/Inverse gambler's fallacy

Genetic fallacy

Guilt by association

Historian's fallacy

Homunculus fallacy

Ideology over reality

If-by-whiskey (argues both sides)

Judgemental language

Ignoratio elenchi (also called irrelevant conclusion)

Inappropriate interpretations or applications of statistics

including:

Biased sample

Correlation implies causation

Gambler's fallacy

Prosecutor's fallacy

Screening test fallacy

Intentional fallacy

Invalid proof

Lump of labour fallacy (also called the fallacy of labour scarcity)

Meaningless statement

Middle ground (also called argumentum ad temperantiam)

Misleading vividness

Naturalistic fallacy

Negative proof

Non sequitur

including:

Affirming the consequent

Denying the antecedent

No true Scotsman

Wikipedia definition

Some enemies of the Church define 'Christian' in such a way as to exclude the LDS.

  • Argument: Latter-day Saints are not Christian because they do not believe in the Trinity.
  • Rebuttal: "Christians" are not defined as those who accept the Trinity, but rather as those who accept Jesus as Son of God and Savior. Since LDS do accept this, they are "Christians," just not "Trinitarian Christians." In other words, "Trinitarian" does not equal "Christian."

Package deal fallacy

Pathetic fallacy

Perfect solution fallacy

Poisoning the well

Wikipedia definition

This fallacy attempts to discredit a person before their arguments are even heard.

  • Argument: Nothing that anyone who publishes with FAIR or FARMS can be believed, because they are "apologists," and so inherently untrustworthy.
  • Rebuttal: An "apologist" may have a very good argument or a very bad one. One is only intellectually honest if he/she is willing to consider the argument on its own merits regardless of who raised it. This tactic is used to avoid confronting arguments with which the critic does not wish to deal. All authors have biases; "apologists" are at least up front about theirs, while critics try to play the role of disinterested 'seekers of truth,' though they are as much "apologists" for their own position.

Proof by verbosity

Questionable cause (also called non causa pro causa)

including:

Correlation implies causation (also called cum hoc ergo propter hoc)

Fallacy of the single cause

Joint effect

Post hoc (also called post hoc ergo propter hoc)

Regression fallacy

Texas sharpshooter fallacy

Wrong direction

Red herring (also called irrelevant conclusion)

Reification (also called hypostatization)

Relativist fallacy (also called subjectivist fallacy)

Retrospective determinism (it happened so it was bound to)

Shifting the Burden of proof

Slippery slope

Special pleading

Straw man

Style over substance fallacy

Syllogistic fallacies,

including:

Affirming a disjunct

Affirmative conclusion from a negative premise

Existential fallacy

Fallacy of exclusive premises

Fallacy of four terms (also called quaternio terminorum)

Fallacy of the undistributed middle

Illicit major

Illicit minor

Further reading

External links