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AP Language: Fallacies Flashcards

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5906388412Red Herring"We can debate these regulations until the cows come home, but what the American people want to know is, when are we going to end this partisan bickering?"0
5906388413Ad HominemAfter Sally presents an eloquent and compelling case for a more equitable taxation system, Sam asks the audience whether we should believe anything from a woman who isn't married, was once arrested, and smells a bit weird.1
5906388414Faulty Analogy"We put animals who are in irreversible pain out of their misery, so we should do the same for people"2
5906388415Straw ManAfter Will said that we should put more money into health and education, Warren responded by saying that he was surprised that Will hates our country so much that he wants to leave it defenseless by cutting military spending.3
5906388416False DilemmaEither we agree to higher taxes, or our grandchildren will be mired in debt4
5906388417Hasty GeneralizationSmoking isn't bad for you; my great aunt smoked a pack a day and lived to be 905
5906388418Circular ReasoningBuy this shampoo because it's the best shampoo!6
5906388419Post Hoc Ergo Propter HocWe elected Johnson as President and look where it got us: hurricanes, floods, stock market crashes7
5906388420Appeal to False AuthorityNot able to defend his position that evolution 'isn't true' Bob says that he knows a scientist who also questions evolution (and presumably isn't a primate).8
5906388421Bandwagon AppealYou should vote to elect Rachel Johnson--she has a strong lead in the polls!9
5906388422Faulty Cause ex 1a black cat passed Babb's path yesterday and sure enough, she was involved in an automobile accident later that same afternoon10
5906388423Faulty Cause ex 2The introduction of sex education courses at the high school level has resulted in increased promiscuity among teens. A recent study revealed that the number of reported cases of STDs was significantly higher for high schools that did not.11
5906388424Sweeping Generalization ex 1Muffin must be rich or have rich parents, because she belongs to ZXQ, and ZXQ is the richest sorority on campus12
5906388425Sweeping Generalization ex 2I'd like to hire you, but you're an ex-felon and statistics show that 80% of ex-felons recidivate13
5906388426Hasty Generalization ex 1All of those movie stars are really rude. I asked Kevin Costner for his autograph in a restaurant in Westwood the other evening, and he told me to get lost.14
5906388427Hasty Generalization ex 2Pit Bulls are actually gentle, sweet dogs. My next door neighbor has one and his dog loves to romp and play with all the kids in the neighborhood.15
5906388428Faulty Analogy ex 1What's the big deal about the early pioneers killing a few Indians in order to settle the west? After all, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.16
5906388429Faulty Analogy ex 2Banning "head" shops from selling drug paraphernalia in order to curb drug abuse makes about as much sense as banning bikinis to reduce promiscuity17
5906388430Appeal to ignorance ex 1We can safely conclude that there is intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy, because thus far no one has been able to prove that there is not.18
5906388431Appeal to ignorance ex 2The new form of experimental chemotherapy must be working; not a single patient has returned to complain19
5906388432Bifurcation ex 1Either you favor a strong national defense, or you favor allowing other nations to dictate our foreign policy20
5906388433Bifurcation ex 2It's not TV. It's HBO.21
5906388434False dilemma ex 1Either you buy a large car and watch it guzzle away at your paycheck, or you buy a small car and take a greater risk or being injured or killed in the event of an accident22
5906388435False dilemma ex 2You can put your money in a savings account, in which case the IRS will tax you on the interest, and inflation will erode the value of your money, or you can avoid maintaining a savings account in which case you will have nothing to fall back on in a financial emergency23
5906388436Faulty sign ex 1the cars driving in the opposite direction have their lights on; they must be part of a funeral procession.24
5906388437Faulty sign ex 2that guy is wearing a raiders jacket and baggy pants. I'll bet he is a gang member.25
5906388438Damning the source ex 1there is no reason to listen to the arguments of those who oppose school prayer, for they are the arguments of atheists!26
5906388439Damning the source ex 2the American trial lawyers association favors of this piece of legislation, so you know it has to be bad for ordinary citizens.27
5906388440Tu Quoque ex 1Gee, Mom and Dad, how can you tell me not to do drugs when you both smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol?28
5906388441Tu Quoque ex 2the united states has no business criticizing human rights policies of third world nations, not as long as discrimination and segregation continue to exist in the united states29
5906388442equivocation ex 1only man is rational. no woman is a man. Therefore, no woman is rational30
5906388443equivocation ex 2no one who has the slightest acquaintance with science can reasonably doubt that the miracles in the Bible actually took place. every year we witness countless new miracles in the form recombinant DNA, micro-chips, organ transplants, and the like. (the word miracle does not have the same meaning in each case)31
5906388444begging the question ex 1abortion is murder, since killing a baby is an act of murder32
5906388445begging the question ex 2have you stopped beating your wife?33
5906388446tautology ex 1the bible is the word of god. we know his because the bible itself tells us so.34
5906388447tautology ex 2you are a disagreeable person and, if you disagree with me on this, it will only further prove what a disagreeable person you are35
5906388448appeal to authority ex 1if it's good enough for (insert celebrity's name here), it's good enough for me36
5906388449appeal to authority ex 2laws against marijuana are plain silly. Why, Thomas Jefferson is known to have raised hemp on his own plantation37
5906388450appeal to tradition ex 1of course we have to play "pomp and circumstance" at graduation, because that's always been the song that is played38
5906388451appeal to tradition ex 2why do I make wine this way? because my father made wine this way, and his father made wine this way39
5906388452appeal to the crowd ex 1all I can say is that if living together is immoral, then I have plenty of company40
5906388453appeal to the crowd ex 2professor windplenty's test was extremely unfair. just ask anyone who took it.41
5906388454straw man ex 1a mandatory seat belt law could never be enforce. you can't issue citations to dead people42
5906388455straw man ex 2what woman in her right mind could truly desire total equality with men? No woman wants the right to be shot at in times of war, the right to have to pay alimony, or the right to have to use the same bathrooms as men43
5906388456slippery slope ex 1if the supreme court allows abortion, next thing you know they'll allow euthanasia, and it won't be long before society disposes of all those persons whom it deems unwanted or undesirable44
5906388457slippery slope ex 2if I let one student interrupt my lecture with a question, then I'll have to let others and, before long, there won't be any time left for lectures45
5906388458appealing to extremes ex 1husband to ex-wife: well, if you want to be completely fair about dividing everything up, you should get one of my testicles and I should get one of your breasts.46
5906388459appealing to extremes ex 2debtor to creditor: hey, you've already repossessed my car and my television. Why don't you just draw a quart of blood or carve a pound of flesh from my heart too?47
5906388460hypothesis contrary to fact ex 1if only you had tasted the stewed snails, I'm sure you would have liked them48
5906388461hypothesis contrary to fact ex 2If Hitler had not invaded Russian and opened up two military fronts, the Nazis would surely have won the war49
5906388462non sequitar ex 1I wore a red shirt when I took the test, so that is probably why I did so well on the test50
5906388463non sequitar ex 2Mr. Boswell couldn't be the person who poisoned our cat, Truffles, because when I used to take Truffle for walks he always smiled and said "hello" when we walked by51
5906388464red herring ex 1accused by his wife of cheating at cards, Ned replies "nothing I ever do pleases you. I spent all last week repainting the bathroom, and then you said didn't like the color"52
5906388465red herring ex 2There's too much fuss and concern about saving the environment. we cant create an Eden on earth. and even if we could, remember Adam and eve got bored in the garden and Eden anyway!53
5906388466inconsistency ex 1A used car salespersons says, "hey, you can't trust those other car salesman. They'll say anything to get you buy a car from them54
5906388467inconsistency ex 2A parent has just read a child the story of Cinderella. The child asks, "if the coach, and the footmen, and the beautiful clothes all turned back into the pumpkin, the mice, and the rags, then how come the glass slipper didn't change back too?55
5906388468Ad HominemA park in your community should not be renovated because the person supporting it was arrested during a domestic dispute.56
5906388469Ad Populum (Bandwagon)You should vote to elect Jack Bauer - he has a strong lead in the polls!57
5906388470Appeal to False AuthoritySofia Vergara endorses Pepsi, therefore it is the best brand of soda.58
5906388471Begging the QuestionParanormal activity is real because I have experienced what can only be described as paranormal activity.59
5906388472Circular ReasoningYou can't give me a C! I'm an A student.60
5906388473Faulty AnalogyPeople who have to have a cup of coffee every morning before they can function have no less a problem than alcoholics who have to have their alcohol each day to sustain them.61
5906388474Hasty GeneralizationTaylor Swift has cats, therefore cats are the best animals in the world.62
5906388475Straw ManAfter Will said that we should put more money into health and education, Warren responded by saying that he was surprised that Will hates our country so much that he wants to leave it defenseless by cutting military spending.63
5906388476Inconsistency"I never said most of the things I said." - Yogi Berra64
5906388477False DilemmaYou are either with God, or against him.65
5906388478Questionable PremiseEvery time I listen to Taylor Swift, my mood is brought up. Therefore, Taylor Swift is the cause for happiness.66
5906388479TokenismThe presidential nominee has been accused of being racist. But he recently stated that he really liked the movie, "Roots," so I guess he isn't racist.67
5906388480Appeal to ignoranceYou know that scientists can't prove that UFO's do not visit the Earth, so it makes sense to believe in them.68
5906388481EquivocationThe sign said "fine for parking here", and since it was fine, I parked there.69
5906388482Slippery SlopeColin Closets asserts that if we allow same sex couples to marry, then then the next thing we know we'll be allowing people to marry their parents, their cars, even their monkeys.70
5906388483tu quoqueFrom the Latin meaning, 'you also', this is an appeal to hypocrisy.71
5906388484ad baculum(scare tactics)When force, coercion, or even a threat of force is used in place of a reason in an attempt to justify a conclusion.72
5906388485slippery slopeThis is a conclusion based on the premise that if A happens, then eventually through a series of small steps, through B, C,..., X, Y, Z will happen, too, basically equating A and Z. So, if we don't want Z to occur, A must not be allowed to occur either.73
5906388486post hoc (false cause)a conclusion that assumes that if 'A' occurred after 'B' then 'B' must have caused 'A74
5906388487circular reasoning (begging the question)This restates the argument rather than actually proving it.75
5906388488hasty generalizationrushing to a conclusion before having all the facts76
5906388489dogmatismThe assumption that even when many, perhaps millions, of other people believe otherwise, only you can be correct77
5906388490moral equivalencethe implication that two moral issues carry the same weight or are essentially similar78
5906388491straw mana fallacy in which one side of the argument is presented as so extreme that no one will agree with it79
5906388492red herringa fallacy in which one changes the subject halfway through an argument in order to avoid the real subject at hand80
5906388493equivocationusing the ambiguity of language to detract from the real issue at hand81
5906388494ad populumconcluding that an idea has merit simply because many people believe it or practice it82
5906388495non-sequiturFrom the Latin meaning, "it does not follow," a fallacy in which the conclusion does not follow the premises83
5906388496ad hominemattacks against the person arguing rather than attacks against the argument itself84
5906388497appeal to sentimentality (emotion)any attempt to sway an argument via emotion, rather than the quality of the logic or evidence85
5906388498misleading statisticsclaiming that certain figures are drawn from a much more significant sample than they actually are86
5906388499false dilemma (either-or)implies there are only two options, one of which is more appealing, rather than looking at all options87
5906388500appeal to traditiona fallacy that suggests we should continue to do things as they have been done in the past88
5906388501bandwagonsimilar to ad populum (if it is popular, it is correct), with the added element of intimidation to coerce people into jumping onboard89
5906388502false analogyassuming that because two things are alike in one or more respects, they are necessarily alike in some other respect.90

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