PHI-105_Fallacy Study Guide-v1 Perlin
.docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Grand Canyon University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
105-0502
Subject
Philosophy
Date
May 6, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
6
Uploaded by CountGuineaPigPerson1605
Fallacies Study Guide
Using the Logical Fallacies Media piece, fill in a definition and example for each fallacy below. The media piece is located in the “Topic 3 Study Materials” tab. Additionally, a weblink is also listed below within the reference. You are welcome to copy and paste the definitions and examples from the media piece in
for this assignment. The reference for the resource has also been included below. Reference for Logical Fallacies Media Piece: Grand Canyon University (2012). Logical Fallacies. Retrieved from: https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi105/fallacies-website/fallacies-website-v1.1.html
AMANDA OWENBY PHI-105 BENJAMIN PERLIN MARCH 13 2024
Term
Definition
Example
Appeal to Ignorance
An appeal to ignorance uses lack of evidence (for or against) as the basis of the argument. For example, if something can’t be disproven, it must be true!
You have a family member who has a terminal disease. You hear of a possible new cure being offered in another
country. You contact the group promoting this cure and ask if it works. They say,
"No one has ever shown that
it doesn't work, so of course it works!"
Hasty Generalization
A hasty generalization occurs 'when a conclusion is drawn from
a sample that is too small or selective to assume with any confidence that it represents the subject accurately' (Goodpaster & Kirby, 2006, p. 205).
Tom has a beard. Tom is from Canada therefore everyone from Canada must
have a beard
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc at times is one of the most persuasive fallacies. Assuming that because B follows A, A must have caused B. This is an easy fallacy to
assume because this could happen, but we Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc can also be the source of superstitious thinking. Think about an athlete who wears his 'lucky' socks and the team wins the game, you might conclude that wearing 'lucky' socks leads to winning. Maybe you break a
cannot always assume this happens. Some things just happen due to coincidence and the two things really having nothing to do with each other.
mirror and then soon after you get into an accident, you
might conclude that breaking
the mirror led to that misfortune. These occurrences are merely coincidental and are not the reason for one's misfortune.
Either/Or
An either/or fallacy does not acknowledge that opposing claims could both be true, that grey areas may exist between the two alternatives, or that other possibilities exist.
An example of an either/or fallacy is saying that either hamburgers or hotdogs are the best food to have at a BBQ. Making a statement such as this limits the choices to only two, when in reality there are many more choices. At times there are only two choices, and the either/or fallacy does not apply. For example, a woman is either pregnant or not pregnant, or a field goal is either good or not good.
Composition
Putting two or more “good” things together does not necessarily mean they will be good together. This fallacy looks at something from two perspectives: as a whole, and made up of parts. The argument is if something is true about the parts, then it is true about the whole.
The coach recruited the best
players from five different schools therefore his team should be the best in the league. In this case, the argument that the entire team will be the best in the league rests on the fact that each individual player is the best. Just because all the players are the best individual players, does not mean they will be the best team. Great teams require more than just individual talent, they also need teamwork and chemistry.
Extravagant Hypothesis
Formulating a complex
Extravagant
or unlikely explanation for an event when a simpler explanation would do. A “principle called “Occam’s razor” states that the simplest explanation for an event is to be preferred over a more complex one, so long as the simpler one is adequate. The principle of Occam’s razor has shown itself to
be a good thinking principle over the centuries” (Kirby and Goodpaster, 2006, pg. 208).
Hypothesis is the common fallacy that is used in conspiracy theories and other events where a complex hypothesis is offered when the answer is simple.
The simpelist explanation is usually the correct answer
Appeal to Authority
An Appeal to Authority is
a fallacy with the following form:
Person A is (claimed to be) an authority on subject S.
Person A makes claim C about subject S.
Therefore, C is true (Nizkor, 2013).
This erroneous acceptance is based on the belief that the person is the expert or authoritative so therefore everything they say must be true. In this case, the doctor was not qualified to make a claim about the legality of the car cash, so his reasoning was fallacious.
Slippery Slope
Slippery Slope can be described as an analogy
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help