ENG 123 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Slippery Slope, Ad Hominem, Straw Man
Logical Fallacies
Here come some logical fallacies now!
-Beginning the question: arguing that a claim is true by repeating the claim in different words
-Confusing chronology with causality: assuming that because one thing preceded another, the first thing caused
a second thing
-Either or reasoning: assuming that there are only two sides to a question and representing yours as the only
correct one
Oh, look! More logical fallacies!
-Equivocating: misleading or edging with ambiguous word choices.
-False analogy: assuming that because one thing resembles another, conclusions drawn from one also apply to
the other
-Hasty generalization: offering only weak of limited evidence to support a conclusion
Wow, how many of these are there?
-Overreliance on authority; assuming something is true just because an expert says so and ignoring contrary
evidence
-Oversimplifying: giving easy answer to complicated questions, often by appealing to emotions rather than logic
-Personal attack: demeaning the proponents instead of a claim instead of refuting their argument. Also called ad
hominem
Oh. Cool. They just keep coming, huh?
-Red herring: attempting to misdirect the discussion by raising an essentially unrelated point.
-Slanting: selecting or emphasizing the evidence that supports your claim and suppressing or playing down
other evidence.
-Slippery slope: presenting that one thing inevitably leads to another.
*sigh*
-Sob story: manipulating the readers' emotions to lead them to draw unjustified conclusions
-Straw man: directing the argument against a claim that nobody actually makes or that most people agree is very
weak
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Beginning the question: arguing that a claim is true by repeating the claim in different words. Confusing chronology with causality: assuming that because one thing preceded another, the first thing caused a second thing. Either or reasoning: assuming that there are only two sides to a question and representing yours as the only correct one. Equivocating: misleading or edging with ambiguous word choices. False analogy: assuming that because one thing resembles another, conclusions drawn from one also apply to the other. Hasty generalization: offering only weak of limited evidence to support a conclusion. Overreliance on authority; assuming something is true just because an expert says so and ignoring contrary evidence. Oversimplifying: giving easy answer to complicated questions, often by appealing to emotions rather than logic. Personal attack: demeaning the proponents instead of a claim instead of refuting their argument. Red herring: attempting to misdirect the discussion by raising an essentially unrelated point.
