Attacking Faulty Reasoning A Practical Guide to Fallacy-Free Arguments

by Damer, T. Edward

• ISBN13: 9780534551339
• ISBN10: 0534551335
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-06-14
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

ATTACKING FAULTY REASONING is the most comprehensive, readable, and theoretically sound book on the common fallacies. It is designed to help one construct and evaluate arguments. The overriding purpose of the text is to help the students recognize when they construct or encounter a good or successful argument of a particular action or belief. This one skill is reinforced on every page of the text, from the first three chapters that focus on the criteria for a good argument, through the four major chapters on the fallacies or ways that arguments can go wrong. The emphasis is on resolving issues rather than pointing out flaws in arguments.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Reasons for Using Good Arguments	p. 1
Goals of the Text	p. 2
A Code of Intellectual Conduct	p. 4
A Code of Conduct for Effective Rational Discussion	p. 5
The Fallibility Principle	p. 5
The Truth-Seeking Principle	p. 5
The Clarity Principle	p. 5
The Burden of Proof Principle	p. 5
The Principle of Charity	p. 5
The Relevance Principle	p. 6
The Acceptability Principle	p. 6
The Sufficiency Principle	p. 6
The Rebuttal Principle	p. 6
The Resolution Principle	p. 6
The Suspension of Judgment Principle	p. 6
The Reconsideration Principle	p. 6
The Fallibility Principle	p. 7
The Truth-Seeking Principle	p. 8
The Clarity Principle	p. 9
Guide Questions	p. 10
What is an Argument?	p. 11
An Argument Is a Claim Supported by Other Claims	p. 11
Distinguishing Argument from Opinion	p. 12
The Burden of Proof Principle	p. 13
The Standard Form of an Argument	p. 14
The Principle of Charity	p. 16
Deductive Versus Inductive Strength of Arguments	p. 17
Moral Arguments	p. 19
Guide Questions	p. 22
What is a Good Argument?	p. 23
A Good Argument Must Meet Four Criteria	p. 23
The Relevance Principle	p. 23
The Acceptability Principle	p. 25
Criteria of Acceptability	p. 26
Conditions of Unacceptability	p. 27
The Sufficiency Principle	p. 28
The Rebuttal Principle	p. 29
Making Arguments Stronger	p. 31
Applying the Criteria to Arguments	p. 31
Constructing Good Arguments	p. 37
The Resolution Principle	p. 38
The Suspension of Judgment Principle	p. 40
The Reconsideration Principle	p. 40
Guide Questions	p. 40
What is a Fallacy?	p. 42
A Fallacy Is a Violation of a Criterion of a Good Argument	p. 42
Named Versus Unnamed Fallacies	p. 43
Organization of the Fallacies	p. 44
Attacking the Fallacy	p. 46
Rules of the Game	p. 49
Guide Questions	p. 50
Fallacies That Violate the Relevance Criterion	p. 51
Fallacies of Irrelevance	p. 51
Irrelevant or Questionable Authority	p. 51
Appeal to Common Opinion	p. 54
Genetic Fallacy	p. 55
Rationalization	p. 57
Drawing the Wrong Conclusion	p. 59
Using the Wrong Reasons	p. 61
Exercises	p. 63
Irrelevant Emotional Appeals	p. 65
Appeal to Pity	p. 65
Appeal to Force or Threat	p. 67
Appeal to Tradition	p. 69
Appeal to Personal Circumstances	p. 71
Exploitation of Strong Feelings	p. 73
Use of Flattery	p. 75
Assigning Guilt by Association	p. 76
Exercises	p. 78
Additional Exercises	p. 79
Fallacies That Violate the Acceptability Criterion	p. 82
Fallacies of Linguistic Confusion	p. 82
Equivocation	p. 83
Ambiguity	p. 85
Improper Accent	p. 87
Illicit Contrast	p. 89
Argument by Innuendo	p. 91
Misuse of a Vague Expression	p. 93
Distinction Without a Difference	p. 95
Exercises	p. 97
Begging-the-Question Fallacies	p. 98
Arguing in a Circle	p. 98
Question-Begging Language	p. 100
Complex Question	p. 102
Leading Question	p. 104
Question-Begging Definition	p. 106
Exercises	p. 107
Unwarranted Assumption Fallacies	p. 109
Fallacy of the Continuum	p. 110
Fallacy of Composition	p. 112
Fallacy of Division	p. 114
False Alternatives	p. 115
Is-Ought Fallacy	p. 117
Wishful Thinking	p. 118
Misuse of a Principle	p. 120
Fallacy of the Mean	p. 121
Faulty Analogy	p. 123
Fallacy of Novelty	p. 125
Exercises	p. 127
Additional Exercises	p. 128
Fallacies That Violate the Sufficiency Criterion	p. 131
Fallacies of Missing Evidence	p. 131
Insufficient Sample	p. 131
Unrepresentative Data	p. 133
Arguing from Ignorance	p. 135
Contrary-to-Fact Hypothesis	p. 138
Fallacy of Popular Wisdom	p. 140
Inference from a Name or Description	p. 142
Fallacy of Impossible Precision	p. 143
Special Pleading	p. 145
Omission of Key Evidence	p. 147
Exercises	p. 148
Causal Fallacies	p. 150
Confusion of a Necessary with a Sufficient Condition	p. 150
Causal Oversimplification	p. 152
Post Hoc Fallacy	p. 153
Confusion of Cause and Effect	p. 155
Neglect of a Common Cause	p. 157
Domino Fallacy	p. 158
Gambler's Fallacy	p. 159
Exercises	p. 161
Additional Exercises	p. 163
Fallacies That Violate the Rebuttal Criterion	p. 166
Fallacies of Counterevidence	p. 167
Denying the Counterevidence	p. 167
Ignoring the Counterevidence	p. 169
Exercises	p. 171
Ad Hominem Fallacies	p. 172
Abusive Ad Hominem	p. 172
Poisoning the Well	p. 174
Tu Quoque Fallacy	p. 176
Exercises	p. 178
Fallacies of Diversion	p. 179
Attacking a Straw Man	p. 179
Trivial Objections	p. 181
Red Herring	p. 183
Diversionary Humor or Ridicule	p. 185
Exercises	p. 186
Additional Exercises	p. 187
Glossary of Fallacies	p. 191
Answers to Selected Exercises	p. 197
Index	p. 205
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