FALLACIES OF AMBIGUOUS LANGUAGE

1. Equivocation – two meaning in a phrase. Trying to equate.

a. Noisy children are a real headache. Two aspirin will make a headache go away.
Therefore, two aspirin will make noisy children go away.
2. Amphiboly- two meaning in a word
a. We took some pictures of the native girls, but they weren’t developed.
3. Accent- about diction
a. I resent that letter.
4. Composition- infers something that something true as a whole from the fact that it is true from
the part.
a. No atoms are alive. Therefore, nothing made of atoms is alive.
5. Division- opposite of composition.
a. Humans are alive. Humans are made up of atoms. Therefore, atoms are alive.
6. Complex question- committed when someone asks a question that presupposes something that
has not been proven or accepted by all the people involved.
a. Who is the Sultan of las islas Filipinas? Is not fallacious. assumes that there is a place
existed and a sultan (both are true).
b. Who is the King of Philippines? Is fallacious. Assumes that PH existed (true) and there is
a king (false).
c. Is mary wearing a blue or red dress? Is fallacious because of restriction.

FALLACIES OF NEGLECTED CATEGORIES

1. False cause- wrong direction fallacy.

a. Every time I go to sleep, the sun goes down. Therefore, my going to sleep causes the sun
to set.
2. Begging the question- circular fallacy. Initial argument seems correct, subsequent begs the
question.
a. All ravens are black; therefore all birds that are not black are not ravens.
3. Accident- applying general rule to an irrelevant situation.
a. Cutting people with knives is a crime. Surgeons cut people with knives. Therefore
surgeons are criminals.
4. Hasty generalization- generalization based on insufficient evidence.
a. I walk to that town and have seen 20 people, all are children. Therefore no adult in
there.
5. Black or White- either/or situation, where additional option is disregarded.
a. Roger speaks about capitalism. Therefore he is a communist. (he could be antonist)
6. One more or less-

FALLACIES OF EXAGGERATED ASSUMPTIONS

1. Contradictory assumption- conclusion from incompatible premise.

a. If god is omnipotent, can he make a stone he can’t lift? If yes/no, he is not omnipotent.
2. Misusing the mean-
3. Hypothesis contrary to fact- treating hypothetical situations as a fact.
a. If only Japanese won world war II, my national language would have been nihongo.
OTHERS FALSE ANALOGY

1. ARGUMENTUM AD HOMINEM- DAMNING THE SOURCE: (ad hominem, sometimes called the
genetic fallacy) attempts to refute an argument by indicting the source of the argument, rather
than the substance of the argument itself.
a. There is no reason to listen to the arguments of those who oppose school prayer, for
they are the arguments of atheists!
2. TU QUOQUE: (look who's talking or two wrongs make a right) pointing to a similar wrong or
error committed by another.
a. example: Gee, Mom and Dad, how can you tell me not to do drugs when you both
smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol?
3. APPEAL TO AUTHORITY: (ipse dixit also called ad verecundiam sometimes) attempts to justify
an argument by citing a highly admired or well-known (but not necessarily qualified) figure who
supports the conclusion being offered.
a. example: If it's good enough for (insert celebrity's name here), it's good enough for me.
b. example: Laws against marijuana are plain silly. Why, Thomas Jefferson is known to
have raised hemp on his own plantation.
4. ARGUMENTUM AD MESIRICORDIAM- (Appeal to pity)
5. ARGUMENTUM AD POPULUM- APPEAL TO THE CROWD: (ad populum or playing to the gallery)
refers to popular opinion or majority sentiment in order to provide support for a claim. Often
the "common man" or "common sense" provides the basis for the claim.
a. all I can say is that if living together is immoral, then I have plenty of company.
6. APPEAL TO IGNORANCE: (argumentum ad ignorantiam) attempts to use an opponent's inability
to disprove a conclusion as proof of the validity of the conclusion.
a. i.e. "You can't prove I'm wrong, so I must be right."
b. We can safely conclude that there is intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy, because
thus far no one has been able to prove that there is not.
7. ARGUMENTUM AD BACULLUM- APPEAL TO FORCE.