aice thinking skills flaws & fallacies
Exam questions with Solutions
confusing necessary and sufficient conditions - -happens when you assume
a necessary condition of an event is sufficient for the event to occur
- slippery slope - -commits this fallacy when they claim, without sufficient
reason, that a seemingly harmless action will lead to a disastrous outcome
- ad hominem - -rejects another person's argument or claim by attacking
the person rather than the claim
- tu quoque - -rejects another person's argument or claim because that
person fails to practice what he or she preaches
- straw man - -arguer sets up a wimpy version of the opponent's position
and tries to score points by knocking it down
- post hoc (false cause) - -occurs when the arguer assumes without reason
that because one event precedes another, that the first event was the cause
of the second
- hasty generalization - -occurs when the arguer draws a general overall
conclusion from a sample that is either biased or too small (small to all)
- sweeping generalization - -reasoning goes from some or many to all; it
moves from the sweeping, stereotypical conclusion back to the individual
- false dichotomy (either-or) - -arguer sets up situation so it looks like there
are only two choices; then, they eliminate one so it seems that there is only
option (arguer wanted us to pick that one in the first place)
- invalid deduction: affirming the consequent - -If A then B
B
Therefore, A
If I have the flu, then I'll have a fever
I have a fever
Therefore, I have the flu
- invalid deduction: denying the antecedent - -If A then B
Not A
Therefore, not B
Exam questions with Solutions
confusing necessary and sufficient conditions - -happens when you assume
a necessary condition of an event is sufficient for the event to occur
- slippery slope - -commits this fallacy when they claim, without sufficient
reason, that a seemingly harmless action will lead to a disastrous outcome
- ad hominem - -rejects another person's argument or claim by attacking
the person rather than the claim
- tu quoque - -rejects another person's argument or claim because that
person fails to practice what he or she preaches
- straw man - -arguer sets up a wimpy version of the opponent's position
and tries to score points by knocking it down
- post hoc (false cause) - -occurs when the arguer assumes without reason
that because one event precedes another, that the first event was the cause
of the second
- hasty generalization - -occurs when the arguer draws a general overall
conclusion from a sample that is either biased or too small (small to all)
- sweeping generalization - -reasoning goes from some or many to all; it
moves from the sweeping, stereotypical conclusion back to the individual
- false dichotomy (either-or) - -arguer sets up situation so it looks like there
are only two choices; then, they eliminate one so it seems that there is only
option (arguer wanted us to pick that one in the first place)
- invalid deduction: affirming the consequent - -If A then B
B
Therefore, A
If I have the flu, then I'll have a fever
I have a fever
Therefore, I have the flu
- invalid deduction: denying the antecedent - -If A then B
Not A
Therefore, not B
