Fallacious Reasoning

Faulty or mistaken logic is called

• fallacious reasoning

• credibility

• rhetoric

• point-of-view

A mistaken belief, especially one based on an unsound argument, is called

• a fallacy

• credibility

• a counterclaim

• a thesis

False causality is _____

• something that sounds pragmatic (use a dictionary!) and always is

• ideas that are repeated over and over

• basing a claim on erroneous (use a dictionary!) statements like, "if I only eat two meals a day, I will not be overweight."

When you use the claim you are trying to make as proof of that claim, you are using circular reasoning.  Which of these do you think does this?

• Prius is a great car because it is well made, safe, and gets good gas mileage.

• The mayor wants a mall in our town for more money. The fact that he wants this mall is proof that he is greedy.

If you cared about my happiness, you'd buy me this dog.

• non sequitur

• alse causality

• oversimplification

When I don't show up to classes, I do better on tests.

• ad hominem

• oversimplification

• false causality

I don't agree with Horace Mann creating school becouse he talks funny.

• ad hominem

• faulty analogy

• red herring

Procrastinating on homework until last minute is like waiting to pickup your child from daycare.

• 
  

  circular argument

• straw man

• faulty analogy

Which of the following is an example of a straw man fallacy?

• A) Ignoring someone's argument and attacking a distorted version of it

• B) Using someone's personal traits to discredit their argument

• C) Assuming that because one event follows another, the first caused the second

• D) Presenting only two options when more exist

What is the term for reasoning that involves attacking the person making an argument rather than the argument itself?

• A) Ad hominem

• B) Red herring

• C) Slippery slope

• D) Bandwagon