Chapter 6: Objectives

Following are the main learning objectives from the chapter.  To help you coordinate your studies, these objectives are organized into sub-sections (6-1, 6-2, etc.) and listed with the relevant page numbers from the textbook. 

6-1 (pg. 162).
Recognize how fallacies can garble the structure of a good argument and they may sometimes be altered to become good arguments.

6-2 (pgs. 162-166).
Understand the type of pseudoreasoning called ad hominem and how to identify it.

• Differentiate between the person making an argument and the argument itself.
• Differentiate between the most common types of ad hominem: personal attacks, circumstantial ad hominem, pseudorefutation, poisoning the well, and the genetic fallacy.

6-3 (pgs. 166-169 ).
Understand the type of pseudoreasoning concerned with the burden of proof and how to identify it.

• Identify which side of a given issue has the burden of proof.
• Understand the role of initial plausibility in determining the burden of proof.
• Recognize the special type of burden of proof pseudoreasoning called an appeal to ignorance.

6-4 (pgs. 169-171).
Understand the type of pseudoreasoning called straw man and how to identify it.

6-5 (pgs. 171-174).
Understand the type of pseudoreasoning called false dilemma and how to identify it.

• Differentiate between a false dilemma and its logical counterpart.
• Recognize and differentiate between these subtypes of false dilemma pseudoreasoning: the perfectionist fallacy and the line-drawing fallacy.

6-6 (pgs. 174-176).
Understand the type of pseudoreasoning called slippery slope and how to identify it.

• Recognize that reliance on unfounded claims is what makes an argument an example of slippery slope pseudoreasoning.

6-7 (pgs. 176-178).
Understand the type of pseudoreasoning called begging the question and how to identify it.