Argument from consequences
Quality that's attached to an effect is not transferable to the cause
Without the existence of an omnipotent God, world would go berserk. Hence, God exists.
World may or may not become unliveable, if no one believes in God. But, it still needs to be proven that God exists.
Straw Man
Misrepresent, misquote, misconstrue - then attack
Kejriwal claims that Narendra Modi lied about his degree.
Kejriwal says that to be a good PM, one needs a degree (misconstrue). (Then attack) PM needs vision and leadership, which Modi has, not education and degrees
The argument should be about whether a PM lied during a constitutional process or not.
Appeal to Irrelevant Authority
Appeal to an authority who is not an expert on the issue at hand
GM foods are bad. Our ancestors always recommended natural ways for healthier lives. GM foods have artificially modified DNA
Ancestors are no authority on effects of food with Genetically Engineered DNA
Equivocation
Use different meanings of a word to draw desired conclusion
Science is supposed to explain us 'why' certain things happen. Can it ever explain us 'why' do we exist? It can't. Hence, we need religion.
The former 'why' is 'cause'. And, the later 'why' is 'purpose'
False Dilemma
Create a dilemma, when none actually exists
POTUS: You are with us or you are with the terrorists
When in fact, one could have been neutral or could sympathise with both
Not a Cause for a Cause
After this, therefore because of this
Petrol prices have gone down in the last few quarters. New Government is doing a great job
New Government may be doing a great job. But, that doesn't automatically mean that all good things happened are due to that. Neither are all the bad things
Appeal to Fear
Plays on the fears of an audience by imagining a scary future that would be of their making if some proposition were accepted
Donald Trump
Hasty Generalization
Too small or too special sample set, to be representative of a population
I spoke to a friend from Delhi. After Kejriwal came to power, corruption reduced. I spoke to another friend from Gujrat, Modi did a tremendous job with the infrastructure there.
Those friends might be right/wrong. But, definitely too small a sample to add any value to an argument.
Appeal to Ignorance
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
All that we see around is a master plan made by God. Come on, how can you say No? Can you prove it wrong? No! So, it's right.
The burden-of-proof always lies with the person making a claim
No True Scotsman
A general claim made about a category of things
Members of party X are communal
But, Mr A is from that party! He is not communal
Well, Mr A is not a True X member.
What exactly is a True member, other than being the member of that party!
Genetic Fallacy
An argument's origins or the origins of the person making it have no effect whatsoever on the argument's validity
A member from opposition criticises Government's way of handling a certain issue
Ah! Just look at him, who is preaching! His party had handled so many things wrong
His party might have handled so many things badly. But, the current discussion is about an issue that the current Government is handling
Guilt by Association
Discredit an argument for proposing an idea that is shared by some socially demonized individual or group
Kejriwal demands central Government to approve a certain thing
Do you know who else demand it? None other than Maoists
Whether there is a merit in demand or not is not discussed
Affirming the consequent
If A then C, C; hence A.
Congress-men(A) don't talk about Augusta Westland case(C). Kejriwal doesn't talk about it(C). So, he is a congress-man(A)
C doesn't imply A
Appeal to Hypocrisy
Counter a charge with a charge
You are corrupt.
You too!
Slippery Slope
Discredit a proposition by arguing that its acceptance will undoubtedly lead to a sequence of events
We should never allow Homo-sexuality. It kills morality in the society. It creates monsters and will lead to apocalypse
There is no proof that such sequence of events will happen. But, they apparently are assumed
Appeal to the Bandwagon
Appeal to people, though it doesn't make any sense whatsoever
Invite a thousand well to do people, and feed them an expensive and terribly unhealthy food at a wedding, though you can't actually afford it. Because, that's considered as a great thing to do
It may be a win-win for all, if that's not done. But, never explored. Because, it's not appealing to others
Ad Hominem
Attacks a person's character rather than what he or she is saying with the intention of diverting the discussion
CBI raids Kejriwal's office. He calls Modi a coward and psychopath.
CBI raid could be with a malicious intention. But, talking about Modi's character won't help the case in hand
Circular Reasoning
Because X, therefore X
Subramanian Swami's recent tirade against Raghuram Rajan - The consumer price index has not declined because of high retail prices
A consumer price index (CPI) measures changes in the price level of a market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. So, high CPI and high retail prices are same
3 comments:
Logically funny..haha..good one!
"Shouting Matches" are a good contender to this list.
"Shouting Matches" may be a bit hard in online arguments :-)
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