TFY Chapter 10 (Fallacies: what's Faulty Argument?)

1. Word ambiguity uses undefined and vague words in an argument, seeking to gain an advantage by using words that could be interpreted in more than one way.
2. Misleading euphemisms are words that hide meaning by wrapping a less acceptable idea in positive or neutral connotations. The use of euphemisms is fallacious in an argument when the goal is to be evasive, to mislead, or to disarm awareness and objections.
3. Prejudicial language persuades through the use of loaded words that convey a bias while pretending to convey objective information.
4. Appeals to fear and pity seek to persuade through affecting emotions rather than through sound rational support for an argument.
5. Appeal to false authority seeks to influence others by citing phony or inappropriate authorities. This false authority might be a person, a tradition, or conventional wisdom. Hoever, the appeal to an authentic and appropriate authority is not a fallacy; it can provide excellent support for claims.
6. Appeal to bandwagon is another example of the appeal to authority. In this case, the authority is the exhilarating momentum of the herd instinct.
7. Personal attack refutes another argument by attcking the opponent rather than addressing the argument itself. This fallacy can take the form of using abusive language or name calling.
8. Poisoning the well seeks to prejudice others against a person, group, or idea and prevent their positions from being heard. This technique seeds to remove the neutrality necessary for listening and to implant prejudice instead.
9. The red herring is a ploy of distraction. It makes a claim, then instead of following through with support, it minimizes the issue or/diverts attention into irrelevant issues.
10. The straw man is an argument that misrepresents, oversimplifies, or caricatures an opponent's position; it creates a false replica, then destroys the replica. The straw man also invalidates by attac,ing a minor point as though the whole argument depended upon it.
11. Pointing to another wrong is also called two wrongs make a right. it says , "Don't look at me; he did it too!"
12. Circular reasoning is the assertio or repeated assertion of a conclusion as though the conclusion were a reason. It can also pretned that no supporting reasons are needed. Circular reasoning assumes what it is supposed to prove.