Informal fallacy

An informal fallacy is an argument whose stated premises fail to support their proposed conclusion.^[1] The deviation in an informal fallacy often stems from a flaw in the path of reasoning that links the premises to the conclusion. In contrast to a formal fallacy, the error has to do with issues of ratiocination manifest in language used to state the propositions; the range of elements that can be symbolized by language is broader than that which the symbolism of formal logic can represent.

Contents 1 Deductive and inductive informal fallacies 2 See also 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External links

[edit] Deductive and inductive informal fallacies

Informal fallacies of deductive reasoning contain a fundamental disconnect between the premises and the conclusion that renders the argument invalid. This disconnect often stems from the presence of a hidden co-premise that, if presented, would validate the argument.

Inductive informal fallacies are slightly different from their deductive counterparts, as their merit rests in the inductive strength of the premise-conclusion link rather than in the presence of hidden premises. For instance, the fallacy of hasty generalization, can be roughly stated as:

p) A is an X

p) A is also a Y

c) therefore, all Xs are also Ys

If the populations of X and Y are both too large to sample completely, then the statement is inductive. In such a case, a hasty generalization occurs when the number of Xs and Ys is insufficient to represent the respective populations. It is important to distinguish between a principle of reasoning (deductive or inductive) and the premise of an argument.

[edit] See also

• Argumentation theory
• Argument map
• Critical thinking
• Inference objection
• Inquiry
• Lemma
• Sophism

[edit] References

1. ^ Kelley, D. (1994) The Art of Reasoning. W W Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-393-96466-3

[edit] Further reading

• Damer, T. E.; Rudinow, J.; Barry, V. E.; Munson, R.; Black, A.; Salmon, M. H.; Cederblom, J.; Paulsen, D.; Epstein, R. L.; Kernberger, C.; Others, (2009). Attacking Faulty Reasoning: A Practical Guide to Fallacy-Free Arguments (6E ed.). Wadsworth. ISBN 9780495095064. http://www.duxbury.com/cengage/instructor.do?product_isbn=9780495095064&disciplinenumber=5. 

[edit] External links

• Logical fallacies A list of logical fallacies, explained.
• An Informal Fallacy Primer
• The Fallacy Files: Informal Fallacy

v • d • e Informal fallacies Absence paradox · Begging the question · Blind men and an elephant · Cherry picking · Complex question · False analogy · Fallacy of distribution (Composition · Division) · Furtive fallacy · Hasty generalization · I'm entitled to my opinion · Many questions (Loaded question) · McNamara fallacy · Name calling · Polylogism · Red herring fallacy · Special pleading · Rationalization (making excuses) · Slothful induction Correlative-based fallacies False dilemma (Perfect solution) · Denying the correlative · Suppressed correlative Deductive fallacies Accident · Converse accident Inductive fallacies Sampling bias · Conjunction fallacy · False analogy · Hasty generalization · Misleading vividness · Overwhelming exception Vagueness and ambiguity Amphibology · Continuum fallacy · False precision · Slippery slope Equivocation Equivocation · False attribution · Fallacy of quoting out of context · Loki's Wager · No true Scotsman · Reification Questionable cause Animistic · Appeal to consequences · Argumentum ad baculum · Circular cause and consequence · Correlation does not imply causation (Cum hoc) · Gambler's fallacy and its inverse · Post hoc · Prescience · Regression · Single cause · Slippery slope · Texas sharpshooter · The Great Magnet · Unknown Root · Wrong direction List of fallacies · Other types of fallacy

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