APOL 104 QUIZ 2
1. Appeal to Authority Fallacy
a. literally means To the Man. This fallacy seeks to discredit a persons argument by attacking their personal character, origin, associations, etc., rather than their ideas. It is often used when one person realizes that he cannot defend his beliefs, so he attempts to win an argument in a popular way through personal or humorous attacks.
b. is used when a person claims something is true simply because it cannot be disproved, or that something is fictitious because it cannot be proven to be true.
c. used when a person appeals to the opinions of an expert in a field rather than doing their own research. It is assumed that their conclusions are true based solely on their reputation. It is also used when a person appeals to the authority of a popular, well-liked person, who is respected by the audience, but the person has no real authority on the matter.
d. is used when a person justifies a course of action because everyone else is doing it. This argument is often used when peer pressure (fear of rejection or promise of affection) causes a person to defend their action or inaction.
2. Red Herring Fallacy
a. is raising an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the primary issue. This fallacy often appeals to fear or pity. The argument also can use guilt to manipulate others into agreement and action. It is often inserted into an argument to help a person win the argument without directly dealing with the real issue. It is irrelevant to the real issue at hand, though it may seem to be related.
b. occurs when one makes a judgement on the bases of one or even a few samples. This argument is used when a conclusion is made without enough evidence.
c. occurs in an argument when a person oversimplifies a complex issue to make it appear that only two alternatives are possible. There are times when only two options exist. However, when this fallacy does occur, you should ask yourself whether additional options are plausible.
d. is to conclude that an effect has only one cause when in reality it is the result of multiple causes. It is also ignoring the complexity of the issue and omitting other vital information to draw a conclusion.