Logical Fallacies Flashcards

"After I started wearing my lucky socks, our team won five games in a row. My socks must cause wins." What fallacy is this?

Answer: Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Post hoc ergo propter hoc assumes that because B followed A, A caused B, without establishing an actual causal link.

Comparing a government's economic policy to a household budget to argue that governments must avoid debt is an example of:

Answer: False analogy

False analogy draws a comparison between two things that are not sufficiently similar in the relevant respects.

A CEO states: 'Either you support this merger or you don't care about the company's future.' Employees who oppose the merger for legitimate reasons are victims of which fallacy?

Answer: False dilemma

False dilemma restricts options to two extremes, ignoring that opposition to the merger could coexist with caring about the company.

"My doctor said vaccines are dangerous, so they must be." Which fallacy best describes over-reliance on this single source?

Answer: Appeal to authority

Appeal to authority becomes fallacious when citing an authority outside their expertise area or using one authority against broad scientific consensus.

Which of the following is NOT an informal logical fallacy?

Answer: Affirming the consequent

Affirming the consequent is a formal (structural) fallacy, while ad hominem, slippery slope, and straw man are informal fallacies.

A debater says: 'You claim we should reduce military spending, but you benefit from defense contracts, so your argument is invalid.' This is:

Answer: Circumstantial ad hominem

Circumstantial ad hominem dismisses an argument by citing the arguer's personal circumstances or potential bias rather than the argument's logic.

"If we ban assault rifles, next they'll ban all guns, then knives, then everything." This is an example of:

Answer: Slippery slope

Slippery slope claims one policy will inevitably lead to a chain of increasingly extreme consequences without evidence for each step.