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Causal Oversimplification

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The cause being identified is only part of a more complicated set of causes

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Alternate Cause Post Hoc Fallacy

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Just because two things happened in a certain order doesn't mean one caused the other. Some outside force could be the cause. After this, therefore because of this. It assumes that because one thing follows another, one thing must have caused the other

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Irrelevant Authority

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Relying on sources that are not highly knowledgeable in the area

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The Troubled Analogy Faulty Analogy

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Every time you make an analogy, you're saying that something is like something else-except that it isn't EXACTLY like that, or you'd just be talking about the original topic. Two things being compared are different in crucial respects. Ex: The University is like any business - it has to turn a profit, or it will fail.

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Hasty Generalization Sample is not representative Sample is too small No control group

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Jumping to a broad conclusion based on too little information or too few examples A control group is a group of people who are as similar as possible in every way, and differ from the test group by only one variable.

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Arguing from Ignorance

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"You can't prove that I'm wrong so I must be right"

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Slippery Slope Correlation does not equal causation

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Assumption that something will inevitably lead to something further

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Is-ought Fallacy

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The assumption that because something is the case it should be the case Ex: Test is unfair... Life is unfair!

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Ad Hominem Fallacy

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Attacking the person personally to diminish their own argument

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Genetic Fallacy

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Someone inappropriately judges something solely on the basis of where it comes from (its genesis)

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False Alternatives

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When someone tries to restrict discussion to only two possible options. Ex: You're either my friend or you're my enemy

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Fallacy of Composition

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True of parts will make the whole true

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Fallacy of Division

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True of whole makes each of the parts true

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Red Herring

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Creating a diversion Ex: "The real question is..."

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Ignoring Relevant Evidence Unjustified Assumptions

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Failing to account for evidence that might lead to a different conclusion. Ex: Economy is in good shape because people shop, people have jobs, and ATMs work The conclusion cannot be validated unless the assumption can be proved

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Confusion of Necessary and Sufficient Condition

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Assumption that something is necessary to produce a certain outcome. Ex: Great people practice hours every day; I do that, but I'm not great

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Distinction without a Difference

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An argument that makes a verbal distinction between two things. Ex: Concert is free, but a donation is requested

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Begging the Question

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A conclusion is implicitly stated/assumed to be true in initial premises. Ex: Zombie movies are sick, so why do we promote sick entertainment?

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Affirming the consequent

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Affirming that something happens because of another. Ex: Honor system = less cheating... There's less cheating, therefore an honor system must have been adopted

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Denying the antecedent

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Denying that something will happen because something else doesn't happen Ex: Education bill = improved schools; Congress won't pass the bill, so schools won't improve

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Attacking a Straw Man

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Implying that your opponent made an argument that he/she did not make Ex: Opponent says to reduce school spending... therefore he thinks we should abandon education

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Two Wrongs Fallacy

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Deflection of a legitimate criticism by saying that others have done the same Ex: I'm not the only one driving over the speed limit

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Appeal to common opinion

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Assumption that because something is commonly believed to be true, then it must be true Ex: JFK is our greatest president by public polls

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Fallacy of Equivocation

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A word of term used in two different ways, but trying to be used in the same way. Ex: My opponent proposal for funding education barely touches the problem. Education, you see, is a life-long process.

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Skill & Will

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Argument assumes that people have the ability (skill) to do something or the motivation (will) to do it, when this has not been proven to be the case. Ex: Children should be offered vegetables three times daily.

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Extreme Language Terms too Vague

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Argument uses language so extreme or vague that the premises cannot justify the conclusion.

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Predicting the Future

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Opportunity to point out that the future could actually turn out some other way. Introduces a level of uncertainty in the argument.

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What's their Motivation?

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Arguments in the form of ads or company announcements

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Confusing signs of a thing for the thing itself

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Medical tests report false positives: the number of people who test positive for a disease is not identical to the number who actually have the disease. Especially acute when people have an incentive to over-report or under-report. The problem assumes that because a law exists, people must be following it: law de facto vs. law de iure.

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Short term vs. Long term

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Something good in the short term, under certain circumstances, may not be good in the long term. Ex. antibiotics, working all night to rescue people in an emergency

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The ever changing pool

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Most groups of people have a rotating cast of members. Remember to look for a "survivor bias" Ex. The people who stuck around didn't hate the dorm enough to leave.

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Nothing is quantified

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Important when trying to argue something like, "the eventual savings will outweigh the startup costs"

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How was it before?

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It is hard to judge the present, or predict the future, without information about the past.

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Alike doesn't mean identical

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People who are alike in some ways are undoubtedly different in others.

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Percents vs. Real numbers (and other mathematical confusion)

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Don't confuse percents with actual numbers of dollars, people, etc. If any numbers are being presented in an argument topic, see whether they are being cited in a logical way.

GRE Argument Fallacies – Flashcards

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