Ch. 5 Thinking & Speaking Clearly Key Terms and Players

Front

Ad Hominem

Back

A fallacy in which an argument attacks the person rather than supporting or disproving a conclusion.

Front

Appeal to Ignorance

Back

A fallacy in which an argument asserts that a proposition must be true simply because it has not been proven false (or vice versa).

Front

Appeal to Pity

Back

A fallacy in which an argument tries to evoke an emotional response rather than establish logical support for its conclusion.

Front

Attacking the Motive

Back

A fallacy in which an argument attacks a person's vested interest in the conclusion instead of the person's conclusion.

Front

Bandwagon

Back

A fallacy in which an argument appeals to popular support of a conclusion instead of building a case for that conclusion.

Front

Begging the Question

Back

A fallacy in which a premise of the argument merely assumes what the conclusion is trying to prove.

Front

Cogent Argument

Back

A clear and convincing inductive argument in which the premises lead to a highly probable conclusion.

Front

Critical Thinking

Back

The process of analyzing and evaluating arguments for validity and soundness.

Front

Deductive Argument

Back

Any argument built on generally accepted premises necessarily leading to a conclusion.

Front

Equivocation

Back

A fallacy in which a key word in an argument is used ambiguously or in two different senses.