fallacy study guide

sufficient evidence or being inconsistent with established principles or Occam's razor principle. beings from a parallel universe who can selectively manipulate time and space." Appeal to Authority A logical fallacy that occurs when an argument is based solely on the testimony or opinion of an authority figure, rather than on evidence or sound reasoning. "Dr. Smith, a renowned physicist, claims that time travel is possible. Therefore, time travel must be a feasible and achievable phenomenon." Slippery Slope A logical fallacy that occurs when an argument suggests that taking a small step in a certain direction will inevitably lead to a chain of events culminating in an extreme or undesirable outcome, without providing sufficient evidence for this causal connection. "If we allow students to use smartphones in the classroom for educational purposes, it will lead to complete chaos. Soon, students will be constantly distracted, academic performance will decline, discipline problems will increase, and ultimately the entire education system will collapse." Division A logical fallacy that occurs when one assumes that what is true for a whole or a group must also be true for its individual parts or members. "Since the football team is undefeated, each player on the team must be exceptional and unbeatable individually." Circular Reasoning A logical fallacy that occurs when the conclusion of an argument is used as one of the premises or assumptions to support that very conclusion. "God exists because the Bible says so, and we know the Bible is true because it is the word of God." Is/Ought A logical fallacy that occurs when a conclusion about what ought to be done or what is morally right is solely based on what is or what currently exists. "Animals in nature kill and eat each other, so it is natural for humans to engage in violence as well." Appeal to Tradition Occurs when an argument asserts that something should be done or believed a certain way simply because it has been done or believed that way for a long time. "We should continue using this outdated medical treatment because it has been used for centuries and has a long history of being effective." False Analogy A logical fallacy that occurs when an argument draws a comparison between two things or situations that are not sufficiently similar, leading to an invalid or misleading conclusion. "Arguing against gun control is like arguing against knife control. If we ban guns because they can be used to harm people, we should also ban knives." Bandwagon Appeal Occurs when an argument asserts that a claim or course of "Everyone is buying the latest smartphone model, so it must be the