Notes

Logical Fallacies:

-Fallacy?
Arguments that are very weak, somewhat weak, somewhat strong, or very strong; an argument that has several stages/parts.

-Hasty Generalization?
"My roommate said her philosophy class was hard, and the one I'm in is hard, too. All philosophy classes must be hard!!"

-Missing the Point?
+Occurs where the wrong conclusion is drawn.
+"The seriousness of a punishment should match the seriousness of the crime. Right now, the punishment for drunk driving may simply be a fine. But drunk driving is a very serious crime that can kill innocent people. So the death penalty should be the punishment for drunk driving."

-Post Hoc (False Clause)
+A logical fallacy (of the questionable cause variety) that states "Since event Y followed event X, event Y must have been caused by event X." It is often shortened to simply post hoc fallacy...
+"President Jones raised taxes, and then the rate of violent crime went up. Jones is responsible for the rise in crime.

-Slippery Slope
+When a person asserts that some event must inevitably follow from another without any argument for the inevitability of the event in question.
+"Animal experimentation reduces our respect for life. If we don't respect life, we are likely to be more and more tolerant of violent acts like war and murder. Soon our society will become a battlefield in which everyone constantly fears for their lives. It will be the end of civilization. To prevent this terrible consequence, we should make animal experimentation illegal right now."

-Weak Analogy
+If the two things that are being compared aren't really alike in the relevant respects, the analogy is a weak one, and the argument that relies on it commits the fallacy of weak analogy.
+"Guns are like hammers--they're both tools with metal parts that could be used to kill someone. and yet it would be ridiculous to restrict the purchase of hammers--so restrictions on purchasing guns are equally ridiculous."

-Appeal to Authority
+When an authority is cited on a topic outside their area of expertise or when the authority cited is not a true expert.
+"We should abolish the death penalty. Many respected people, such as actor Guy Handsome, have publicly stated their opposition to it."

-Appeal to Pity
+
+"I know the exam is graded based on performance, but you should give me an A. My cat has been sick, my car broke down, and I've had a cold, so it was really hard for me to study!!"

-Appeal to Ignorance
"People have been trying for centuries to prove that God doesn't exist, but no one has yet been able to prove it. Therefore, God exists.

-Straw Man
"Feminists want to ban all pornography and punish everyone who reads it!! But such harsh measures are surely inappropriate, so the feminists are wrong; porn and its readers should be left in peace."

-Red Herring
"Grading this exam on a curve would be the most fair thing to do. After all, classes go more smoothly when the students and the professor are getting along well."

-False Dichotomy
"Caldwell Hall is in bad shape. Either we tear it down and put up a new building, or we continue to risk students' safety. Obviously we shouldn't risk anyone's safety, so we must tear the building down."

-Begging the Question
"Active euthanasia is morally acceptable. It is a decent, ethical thing to help another human being escape suffering through death."

-Equivocation
"Giving money to charity is the right thing to do. So charities have a right to our money."