C2 C Thinking: -- 13-- Inductive Fallacies

Thursday, January 7, 2010

-- 13-- Inductive Fallacies

-- 13 --

TFY C11

Summary TFY

Chapter Eleven

Inductive Fallacies

Glossary C11

Analogical Reasoning	Analogical reasoning draws conclusions on the basis of observed correspondences.
Cause	A perceived source or consequence of an event.
Conclusion of an inductive study	To make a generalization about empirical findings that may or may not confirm the hypothesis tested. It also may not be totally certain.
Either-or Fallacy	This fallacy is an argument that oversimplifies a situation, asserting that there are only two choices when actually there are many.
Extrapolation	This is an inference based on an estimated projection of known information.
False Analogy	This fallacy compares two things that may have some similarities but also significant differences that are ignored for the sake of the argument.
Hasty Generalization	This fallacy is a conclusion based on insufficient evidence.
Hypothesis	Hypothesis is a trial idea, tentative explanation, or theory that can be tested and used to further an investigation.
Inconsistencies and Contradictions	This fallacy makes claims that are contradictory or offers evidence that contradicts the conclusion.
Induction	To reason about all members of a class on the basis of an examination of some members of a class.
Infer	To use imagination and reasoning to fill in missing facts. To connect the dots.
Loaded Question	This fallacy uses a biased question that seeks to obtain a predetermined answer.
Opinion	Opinion is a word used to include an unsupported belief, a supported argument, an expert’s judgment, prevailing public sentiment, and a formal statement by a court.
Pattern	A perceived design or form.
Principal claim and reasons	These are the two parts of an argument. The principal claim is the thesis or conclusion. The reasons support this claim through evidence or other claims. A claim is an assertion about something.
Questionable Statistic	This fallacy backs up an argument with statistics that are either unknowable or unsound.
Reasoning through enumeration	This is reasoning through counting. Reasoning draws conclusions or inferences from facts or premises.
Reasoning through Statistics and Probability	This occurs in inductive reasoning. Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing, and interpreting numerical data. Probability in statistics estimates the ratio of the number of actual occurrences of a specific event to the total number of possible occurrences.
Reasoning with hypotheses	To conceive a trial idea and use it to implement an investigation.
Slippery Slope	This fallacy is an unwarranted claim that permitting one event to occur will lead to an inevitable and uncontrollable chain reaction.
The empirical or scientific method	The empirical or scientific method is based on observation and experiment.
Thinking	Purposeful mental activity such as reasoning, deciding, judging, believing, supposing, expecting, intending, recalling, remembering, visualizing, imagining, devising, inventing, concentrating, conceiving, considering.