PHL 214 Chapter 5: Critical Thinking Textbook-Chapter 5
16 Aug 2015
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Document Summary
Awed arguments are known as fallacies and are then said to be fallacious. Fallacies are often beguiling; they seem plausible and are psychologically persuasive but logically impotent. There are two broad categories of fallacies: (1) those that have irrelevant premises, (2) those that have unacceptable premises. Irrelevant premises have no bearing on the truth of the conclusion; reasons that have nothing to do with the conclusion. Unacceptable premises are relevant to the conclusion but are nonetheless doubtful in some way. In good arguments, premises must be both relevant and acceptable. Arguing that a claim is true or false solely because of its origin. These arguments fail because they reject a claim solely on the basis of where it comes from, not on its merits. Or ad hominem - meaning to the man . To reject a claim by criticizing the person who makes it rather than the claim itself.
