List of fallacies
From EvoWiki
The purpose of this list is to provide a means to identify the specific fallacy used in a given creationist claim. If you don’t see your favorite fallacy here, please feel free to add it somewhere that we can find it.
Fallacies judging reasons for conclusion
- Fallacy Fallacy--to conclude your opponent must be wrong because he used a fallacy
Fallacies of “and,” “or,” and “only if”
- Affirming a Disjunct--A or B is true; A is true, therefore B is false
- Commutation of Conditionals--if A is true, then B is true; therefore, if B is true, A is true
- Affirming the Consequent--if A is true, then B is true; B is true, therefore A is true
- Denying a Conjunct--A or B is false; A is false, therefore B is true
- Denying the Antecedent--if A is true, then B is true; A is false, therefore B is false
Fallacies of “some” and “all”
Arguments with two premises
- Affirmative Conclusion from a Negative Premise-- some A are (not) B; some B are not C; therefore, some A are C
- Exclusive Premises--no A are B; no C are A; thus no C are B
- Negative Conclusion from Affirmative Premises--all A are B; some C are A; therefore, some C are not B
- Undistributed Middle--all A are C; all B are C; therefore, all A are B
- Illicit Major--all A are B; no C are A; therefore, no C are B
- Illicit Minor--all A are B; all B are C; therefore, all C are A
Complex arguments
- Existential Fallacy--the assumption that a class has at least one member
- Quantifier Shift Fallacy--every (some) P bears the relation R to some (every) Q; therefore, some (every) Q bears the inverse of relation R to every (some) P
Fallacies illicitly substituting one term for another
Fallacies violating the laws of probability
- Gambler's Fallacy--after a “run” the next trial is less likely to continue the run
- Reverse Gambler's Fallacy--after a “winning streak” the next trial is more likely to continue the run
Fallacies of objectivity
- Relativism--the position that objective facts may be true for some but not for others
Fallacies of meaning and scope
Use of unclear interpretation or boundaries
(Fallacy of Ambiguity and Vagueness)
- Fake Precision--a calculable difference that is nonetheless insignificant
- Slippery Slope--an action will initiate a chain of events resulting in a conclusion
- Quoting Out of Context--distorting the meaning of a quote by removing its surrounding text
- Amphiboly--indeterminate meaning because of grammar or structure
- Accent--changing the meaning of a sentence by emphasizing part of it
Use of an ambiguous word or phrase
- Ambiguous Middle--a word having two meanings in a fallacious syllogism
- Reification--treating an abstract concept like a real thing
- No True Scotsman--redefining terms so a position is easier to defend
- Distinction Without a Difference--claiming there is a difference between two identical concepts
Fallacies confusing properties of parts and properties of the whole
- Composition--the whole has a property because its parts have that property
- Division--a part has a property because the whole has that property
Fallacies based on mutual exclusivity
- False Dilemma--assuming only two alternatives when in fact there are more
- Perfectionist Fallacy--asserting a solution should be rejected if it is not perfect
Fallacies containing a logical circle
- Begging the Question--an argument where the conclusion is assumed as one of the premises
- Loaded Question--a question with a disputed presupposition
- Canceling Hypotheses--to explain the absence of a hypothesis’ consequences by introducing a new contradictory hypothesis
- Conspiracy Theory--to suggest that evidence does not exist because it was hidden
- Vacuous Explanation--an explanation for an event lacking meaningful information
- Stolen Concept--a premise assumes that which one is attempting to disprove
Fallacies of faulty generalizations
Arguments that fail to infer observable facts from general principals
- Sweeping Generalization--to assume that a general rule is universal
Arguments that fail to find general principals from known facts
- Hasty Generalization--drawing a conclusion about a population based on too small a sample
- Anecdotal Evidence--defending a conclusion based on a special exception
- Overwhelming Exception--an accurate generalization, but with significant qualifications
- False Analogy--an analogy which fails to demonstrate sufficient similarity
- Slothful Induction--dismissing reasonable evidence as insufficient
- Moving Goalpost Syndrome--evidence is dismissed and greater evidence is demanded
Fallacies that don’t address the issue in question (Red Herring)
General diversions
- Appeal to Intuition--the belief that which goes against our experience is untrue
- Argument from Design--an argument asserting that design is detectable
- Naturalistic Fallacy--the contention that what is natural is inherently good
- Straw Man--a weak argument set up that can be easily refuted
- Argument from Repetition--continuously repeating an opinion to assert its worth
- Argument from Silence--to interpret silence as consent
- Argument from Incredulity/Shifting the Burden of Proof--an argument against (for) a proposition based on a lack of evidence for (against) it
- God of the Gaps--a deity (or deities) fill the gaps in scientific knowledge
- Sherlock Holmes Fallacy--once all other explanations are refuted the one remaining must be the correct one
- Quibbling--undermining an argument by refuting an irrelevant minor point
Arguments that influence by arousing emotions
- Appeal to Pity--an argument that uses a plea for pity in place of evidence
- Appeal to Popularity--a proposition is true if many people believe it
- Two Wrongs Make a Right--justifying one’s misbehavior by pointing out the misbehavior in others
- Appeal to Ridicule--to present one’s opponent’s arguments in a ridiculous manner
Arguments judging the desirability of the conclusion
- Appeal to Force--a conclusion justified by a threat of force
- Wishful Thinking--believing that what ought to be true is in fact true
- Escape to the Future--predicting that one’s viewpoint will soon be vindicated
Arguments judging an idea based on its origins (Genetic Fallacy)
General fallacies of origin
- Appeal to Poverty--an opinion carries weight if it comes from a poor person
- Honor by Association--to add credibility to an argument by associating it with an honorable group
- Knights and Knaves--identifying some people as unerringly truthful and others as consistently dishonest
Arguments based on misleading authority
- Invincible Authority--basing an assertion on the inerrancy of the source
- Anonymous Authority--quoting someone without giving a name
- Rumor--using common, unverified information
- Appeal to Celebrity--quoting someone as an authority because he/she is famous
Arguments that attack the person making an argument
- Abusive Ad Hominem--insulting the person making the argument
- Circumstantial Ad Hominem--pointing out irrelevant circumstances predisposing the person making the argument to a particular position
- Group Fallacy--associating a person with a group to discredit their argument
- Poisoning the Well--to discredit through irrelevant negative information
- Tu Quoque--to accuse one’s accuser of the same misbehavior
- Guilt by Association--to discredit an argument by associating it with a dishonorable group
- Hitler Card--associating your opponent with Hitler or Nazis
Fallacies asking for an unjustified exception to a rule
Fallacies of false premises
- Suppressed Evidence--evidence is only presented favoring the conclusion
- Jumping to Conclusions--assuming a premise without stating it
- Misrepresenting the Facts--basing an argument on incorrect information
- Speculative Evidence--basing an argument on nonexistent evidence
Fallacies incorrectly identifying cause
- Genuine But Insignificant Cause--a legitimate cause is presented but it is not the major cause
- Wrong Direction of Cause and Effect--arguing the effect caused the cause
- Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc--arguing correlation between events implies one caused the other
- Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc--arguing an event following another is sufficient to imply the first caused the second
- Regression Fallacy--ascribing a cause where none exists
- Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy--the conclusion that a cluster in data must have a cause
- Just So Story--a proposed explanation lacking verifiability
- Arcane Explanation--an explanation based on not universally accepted entities
- Theoretic Fallacy--the explanation for an event is mistaken for the reason to believe the event occurred
References
- Fallacy. Wikipedia. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
- Curtis, Gary N. (2008). Fallacy Files. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
- Thompson, Bruce (11/9/07). Fallacy Page. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
Acknowledgments
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