Logic 101 Practice Test: Informal Fallacies — Flashcards

An informal fallacy is a defect in the content of an argument, rather than the form. To identify an informal fallacy, you need to pay attention to the meaning of the content. 

Here are some examples of informal fallacies:

False dilemma: A false dilemma is when something is falsely claimed to be an "either/or" situation, when in fact there is at least one additional option.
Slippery slope: The slippery slope fallacy suggests that an action will trigger a chain of events and culminate in a subsequent unwanted event.
Appeal to ignorance: An appeal to ignorance is when an argument is taken as real because it has not been proven to be false or an argument is false because it has not been proven to be true.
Genetic fallacy: The genetic fallacy is when the origin of a belief, claim, or theory is confused with its justification.
Begging the question: Begging the question is when a proposition assumes that what it is attempting to prove is correct without any evidence other than the proposition itself.
Equivocation: Equivocation is when language is used in a wrong or misleading way to either conceal a truth or to avoid being committed to a position. 

Other examples of informal fallacies include: Fallacy, Personal incredulity, and Fallacy of accent.