FALLACIES d.

Argumentum ad Ignorantiam

What is Fallacy?

Latin: “fallere” – to deceive / to appear

false or deceptive

“a deceptive, illogical, and misleading

argument”

KINDS
● Fallacies of relevance
● Fallacies of Presumption
● Fallacies of Language e. Argumentum ad Misericordiam (Argument
to Pity)
FALLACIES OF RELEVANCE - When an appeal to evidence is replaced by an
appeal to pity
Arguments that rely on the premises that
f. Argumentum ad
seem to be relevant to the conclusion but in
Populum (Argument to the people)
fact are not
- When one attempts to win acceptance of an
assertion by appealing to a large group of
a. Argumentum ad
people or by influencers.
Baculum (Argument to force)
- When someone resorts to force or to
g. Argumentum ad Verecundiam (Argument
accept a conclusion
to Authority)
eg. Politicians: “might is right”
- Appeals to an authority to try to win
support for an assertion
b. Argumentum ad Crumenam (Argument to
the Money)
h. Ignoratio Elenchi (Ignorance of refutation)
- When appeal is made to the sense of greed
- This fallacy consists in proving something
by means of money to win an argument
other than the issue. Also known as
“ignorance of the issue”, “missing the
eg. Bribery
point”, and “evading the question”
c. Argumentum ad Hominem
i. Non-Sequitur (“it does not follow”)
- When the conclusion of argument is not
logically connected to the premises.

j. Tu Quoque (“you too”)

- When one argues that an action is
acceptable because the opponent has
performed it.
 FALLACIES OF PRESUMPTION FALLACIES IN LANGUAGE

The mistaken arguments arise from Mistaken arguments are due to lack of
dependence on a proposition that it is preciseness in the words, phrases, or
assumed to be true, but is in fact false or sentences used to express thoughts.
Dubious.
a. Accent or Prosody
a. Begging the Question - When a false stress of voice is placed upon
- The premises include the claim that the a given word in order to mislead, confuse,
conclusion is true (directly or indirectly) or or produce a wrong interpretation.
assume that the conclusion is true.
Ex: The injunction declares: Thou shall not
(Circular Logic) covet your neighbor's wife. But, Mrs.
Naividad is not my neighbor. Therefore, I
Ex: “If such actions were not illegal, then can covet her.”
they would not be prohibited by the law”
b. Amphiboly
b. Fallacy of accident - Occurs when the premises used in an
- When what is accidental is confused to argument are ambiguous because of
what is essential careless or ungrammatical phrasing.
(double meaning)
Ex: Brown is color. A Filipino is brown.
Therefore, a Filipino is a color. c. Fallacy of Composition
- Committed due to the assumption that the
c. Fallacy of False Cause whole has the characteristics of its parts.
- Also known as “post hoc” occurs when the
arguer points to something as the cause of Ex: Atoms are colorless. Cats are made of
an event simply because the event atoms, so cats are colorless.
followed it.
d. Fallacy of Division
Ex: Superstitious beliefs. - Committed when one assumes that the
parts have the characteristics of the whole.
d. Fallacy of Complex
Question Ex: You are studying at college for rich
- A single question that is actually of two (or students. Therefore, you must be rich.
more) separate questions is asked, and the
single answer is then applied to both e. Equivocation
questions. - Using a single term with different
meanings
Ex: Have you stop cheating on exams?
Ex: God is Love. Love is blind. Therefore, God is
blind.

f. Hasty Generalization
- Makes a sweeping
conclusion from a few
instances or cases.