PHILOSOPHY NOTES: FALLACY

1. Denying the Antecedent (formal) This argument commits the fallacy of denying the antecedent. Invalid argument form: P1: If P, then Q P2: Not P C: Not Q Even if both premises are true, conclusion does not follow Argument presented fails to provide adequate support for its conclusion Premises does not give sufficient reason to prove conclusion Logical fallacy, hence the context would be irrelevant due to invalid form Affirming the Consequent (formal) This argument commits the fallacy of affirming the consequent. Invalid argument form: P1: If P, then Q P2: Q C: P Even if both premises are true, conclusion does not follow Argument presented fails to provide adequate support for its conclusion Premises does not give sufficient reason to prove conclusion Logical fallacy, hence the context would be irrelevant due to invalid form Appeal to Authority (informal) This argument commits the fallacy of false appeal to authority. Irrelevant appeal to authority as (insert) has nothing to do with (insert) Therefore, an inappropriate appeal to authority. Instead it should be, (insert) Therefore claims in this argument are questionable, Leading to a questionable conclusion Appeal to Pity (informal) This argument commits the fallacy of appeal to pity. Premises given are not related or relevant to conclusion (explain) Relevant consideration (present, explain and given examples) Therefore, argument is not reasonable and has irrelevant premises and/or conclusion Appeal to Popularity (informal) This argument commits the fallacy of false appeal to popularity. Conclusions are established by appealing to what most people in a particular community think or believe Popular opinion, however, is not an appropriate criterion for judgment in this argument, and is in appropriate for issue at hand. (explain) There are other factors like (insert) that are independent. Argument is therefore unacceptable when it is simply based on popular opinion, leading to a questionable conclusion Doubtful Cause (informal) This argument commits the fallacy of doubtful cause. This may be simply coincidence and there could be other reasons for (insert premise before conclusion). There is insufficient evidence to prove the relationship st Just because an event happened right after another, it does not necessarily mean the 1 event nd caused the 2 . Therefore the conclusion is questionable and argument cannot be accepted False Analogy (informal)
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 This argument commits the fallacy of false analogy. The argument attempts to compare (insert) with (insert). The False analogy is made at Premise (insert) There are relevant differences between (insert) and (insert) which weakens the analogy and affects the truth of the conclusion (List the differences) Therefore argument I not accepted and conclusion is questionable 8. False Dilemma (informal) This argument commits the fallacy of false dilemma. The argument is presented erroneously with two alternatives to attempt to lead to the conclusion of (insert). However, there are many other choices or alternatives in the matter (insert) OR One/Both of the alternatives given is/are questionable. It is not clear if . Hence, this argument and its conclusion cannot be accepted. Hasty Generalization (informal) inductive argument This argument commits the fallacy of hasty generalization. This is a weak inductive argument that has a small sample size. The conclusion is drawn erroneously as the sample size is too small. Therefore, conclusion and argument cannot be accepted and is questionable. Slippery Slope (informal) This argument commits the fallacy of slippery slope. This is an argument that derives its conclusion from snow-balling of its premises. Although premises seem to gather strength until a strong conclusion is reached. However, some of the consequences may not necessarily result. (explain and give examples) Therefore, premises do not lead to conclusion Therefore, conclusion is questionable, and argument is not acceptable. Unqualified Generalization (informal) This argument commits the fallacy of unqualified generalization. This argument contains a blanket generalization, or a sweeping statement, made without accepting any exceptions. The generalization therefore becomes a claim that is deemed to be true when in fact there may be notable exceptions. (give examples and explain) The conclusion drawn from this unqualified generalization is then extreme and questionable regarding the extent of its truth. Anonymous Authority (informal) This argument commits the fallacy of anonymous authority. This argument contains a fallacy in which an unnamed authority is cited to justify the truth of a particular conclusion. Conclusion of this argument is established by appealing to claims from unnamed authorities. There is a severe lack of documentation about the alleged experts, which makes it difficult, close to impossible, to evaluate the reliability of the alleged experts. The lack of particulars on the unnamed authority then affects the credibility of the cited information. The (insert) in Premise (insert) is unnamed and there is no way to check their credentials and reliability. Therefore, the claim made is questionable, leading to a questionable and unacceptable conclusion and argument.

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