A | B |
fact | a thing that has actually happened or that is really true |
judgment | an opinion about something’s value |
prediction | a statement made about the future |
statement of obligation | a statement that tells not how things are but how someone |
generalization | broad statements based upon particular facts |
overgeneralization | harmless exaggerations used to express personal feelings |
stereotype | an entire group--separated out by religion, ethnicity, economic status, or nationality—is wrongly identified as sharing certain characteristics or being responsible for some particular event |
fallacy | a mistake or error in reasoning |
single cause fallacy | whenever an event that has several causes is mistakenly described as having only one cause |
post hoc | when someone assumes that one event was caused by another simply because two events were close to one another in time |
either/or fallacy | giving the impression that there are only two alternatives or groups when there are actually more |
false analogy | assuming two things are similar when they are not |
circular reasoning | an attempt to prove a statement by repeating it in other words |
stacking | when someone ignores facts that contradict the position he or she want s to prove |
equivocation | the error of taking unfair advantage of the multiple meanings of words |
ad hominem | irrelevant personal attack that leads the discussion off track and tries to undermine the opposition |
bandwagon | pressuring people to adopt some belief or to take some action simply in order to conform |
snob appeal | influencing people to adopt through selectivity and elitism |
transfer | the attempt to influence people through their feelings to another unrelated thing |
red herring | giving bucket loads of facts, none of which truly bear on the conclusion of an argument (an irrelevant distracter) |
slippery slope | proposing a chain reaction to something undesirable |
logos | an appeal to logic—these appeals consist of facts, examples and well-reasoned arguments |
ethos | an appeal to morals—thes appeals are arguments based on widely accepted values |
pathos | an appeal to emotions—these appeals consist of strong language and anecdotes that arouse strong feelings |