What is a fallacy philosophy?

A fallacy is a kind of error in reasoning. The vast majority of the commonly identified fallacies involve arguments, although some involve only explanations, or definitions, or other products of reasoning. Sometimes the term “fallacy” is used even more broadly to indicate any false belief or cause of a false belief.

What is petitio principii fallacy?

(4) The fallacy of circular argument, known as petitio principii (“begging the question”), occurs when the premises presume, openly or covertly, the very conclusion that is to be demonstrated (example: “Gregory always votes wisely.” “But how do you know?” “Because he always votes Libertarian.”).

What is a theoretical argument?

1 of or based on theory. 2 lacking practical application or actual existence; hypothetical. 3 using or dealing in theory; impractical.

What is a good philosophical argument?

A good argument is an argument that is either valid or strong, and with plausible premises that are true, do not beg the question, and are relevant to the conclusion. “The conclusion of this argument is true, so some or all the premises are true.”

What is a proposition philosophy?

In philosophy, “meaning” is understood to be a non-linguistic entity which is shared by all sentences with the same meaning. Equivalently, a proposition is the non-linguistic bearer of truth or falsity which makes any sentence that expresses it either true or false.

What is an argument based on faulty reasoning?

A fallacy is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning, or “wrong moves” in the construction of an argument. A fallacious argument may be deceptive by appearing to be better than it really is.

What is an example of equivocation?

The fallacy of equivocation occurs when a key term or phrase in an argument is used in an ambiguous way, with one meaning in one portion of the argument and then another meaning in another portion of the argument. Examples: I have the right to watch “The Real World.” Therefore it’s right for me to watch the show.

What is fallacy of Amphiboly?

The fallacy of amphiboly happens when someone uses grammar or punctuation in a way that a statement could be interpreted as having more than one meaning, so it is unclear what is really meant. Other names for the fallacy are the fallacy of ambiguity, misusing ambiguity, and the fallacy of unclearness.

What is an example of circular logic?

For example: Eighteen-year-olds have the right to vote because it’s legal for them to vote. This argument is circular because it goes right back to the beginning: Eighteen-year-olds have the right to vote because it’s legal. It’s legal for them to vote because they have the right to vote.

What is an argument in philosophy?

(Proposed by the customer) “A collected series of statements to establish a definite proposition.” When we talk about arguments as used by philosophers, we are talking about an argument in the latter sense. Again, doing philosophy is essentially a process of making and evaluating arguments.

What are sufficient reasons for the conclusion of an argument?

Sufficiency A communicator making an argument should provide reasons that are sufficient to justify the acceptance of his or her conclusion. “There must be a sufficient number of relevant and acceptable premises of the appropriate kind and weight in order for an argument to be good enough for us to accept its conclusion.”

What are the premises of an argument?

Arguments consist of a conclusion and (almost always) some premises. The conclusion is what the argument is meant to support as being true; it’s the claim being made. The premises provide support for the conclusion.

What are the 5 principles of good argumentative writing?

The 5 Principles of Good Argument. 1 1. Structure. A good argument must meet the fundamental structural requirements of a well-formed argument. “Such an argument does not use reasons that 2 2. Relevance. 3 3. Acceptability. 4 4. Sufficiency. 5 5. Rebuttal.