Unit 5

Informal
Fallacies
 33 Fallacies of Distraction

 Informal fallacy- is a poular but invalid for of argument

 Falacies of distraction- an argument that confuses the
issue by pointing to information that is actually irrelevant
to the conclusion.
 Ipse dixit- (he has said it himself)- An illegitimate appeal
to authority
– X says thus and such, thus and such must be the case.
– My dad says that aliens exist therefore they exist
 Ad populum- (to the masses) an illegitamate appeal to
authority
– - Mom, all my friends are doing it!
– This story must be good, it is a best seller!
 33 Fallacies of Distraction

 Ad baculum (to the stick)- an illegitiamte appeal to force

– If you don't vote for the Sneator, the ozone layer will be
destoyd and we will die.
 Ad hominem (to the man)- a verbal attack on a person
rather than his argument
 Yes we know that you maintain that the sun rises in the
east every morning. But we also know that you are a jerk.
 Bulverism (genetic falcy)- attacking a postion by
pointing out how the arguer came to hold it.
– You think Italy is a great place to stay only because you
live here.
 33 Fallacies of Distraction

 Tu quoque (Yeah, well, you do it too!)points to an

inconsistency between a person's argument and behavior
– Don't tell me not to cheat- you do it too.
 Ad ignorantiam- an argument from lack of evidence
– UFOs must be alien spaceships. The govenment has
never offered any other satisfactory explanation.
 Chronological snobbery-argument based merely on the
passage of time
– Categorical logic may have worked with Aristotle but he
is outdated now.
 34 Fallacies of Ambiguity

 Falacies of ambiguity- arguments that confuse the real

issue with multiple, vague, or otherwise unclear meanings
 Equivocation- changing the definition of the term in the
middle of the argument.
– The only rational being is man
– Women are not men
– This explains why women are so irrational
 Accent- alters the meaning of a statement through
changed emphasis
– We should not steal our neighbor's car (But it is fine if
someone else does)(But we will anyway)(It is ok to
vandelize)(Bit folks across town are fair game)(We're
after the motrocycle)
 34 Fallacies of Ambiguity

 Amphiboly- a vagueness of grammar that disguises or

alters the meaning
 Oracle of Delphi “If you go to war a great kingdom will be
destroyed”
 Tuna Biting of Italy's Coast
 Composition- the fallacy of transferring attributes from
part to the whole
– If Sodium (Na) is a poison and Chlorine(Cl) is a poison
than Sodium Chloride (NaCl) must be a poison.
– Each part of a 747 is designed to be
lightwieght...therefore it must not weigh much.
 Division- transferring parts of teh whole to part.
– Juve is a great team therefore each player is great!
 35 Fallacies of Form

 Fallacies of form- Fail to establish their conclusions because of

weakness in logical structure
 Circular Reasoning- secretly assuming what you are trying to
prove
– P is true, therefore P is true.
– Rock music is better than classical becuase classical is not as
good.
– She must love me, because she says she does. And she would
not lie to someone she loves, would she?
 Post hoc ergo propter hoc- (after this, therefore because of
this) False Cause- improperly assuming that a sequence in time
implies a cause and effect.
– P happened before Q therefore P caused Q.
– The American war tookplace after the Renaissance; therefore
it was on of the causes
 35 Fallacies of Form

 Either/or- Bifucation- an argument based on a false dilemma-

– You must believe either this or that
– You did not finish your homework? You must be stupid or
lazy!
 Complex question- (loaded question) a question crafted to
exclude any possible legitimate response.
– Have you stopped picking your nose yet?
– What did you do with the money you stole? Nothing! So you
admit you stole it!
 Apriorism:a hasty generalization
– I tried to talk to the new boy Tommy yesterday, and he stuck
his tongue out at me. Boys are so mean!
 36 Detecting Fallacies

What is he trying to
prove?
How is he trying to
prove it?