A fallacy is a general type of appeal (or category of argument) that resembles good reasoning, but that we should not find to be persuasive. This fallacy occurs when you argue that your conclusion must be true, because there is no evidence against it. This fallacy wrongly shifts the burden of proof away from the one making the claim.

2. Appeal to
Ignorance
Abdul Ghaffar
BBA181039

3.  A FALLACY IS, VERY GENERALLY, AN ERROR IN REASONING. THIS DIFFERS FROM A FACTUAL
ERROR, WHICH IS SIMPLY BEING WRONG ABOUT THE FACTS. TO BE MORE SPECIFIC, A
FALLACY IS AN "ARGUMENT" IN WHICH THE PREMISES GIVEN FOR THE CONCLUSION DO NOT
PROVIDE THE NEEDED DEGREE OF SUPPORT.
o FALLACY IS A TYPE OF ARGUMENT THAT MAY SEEM TO BE CORRECT, BUT THAT PROVES, ON
EXAMINATION, NOT TO BE SO.
o MOST FALLACIES ARE NORMALLY PSYCHOLOGICALLY PERSUASIVE- ALTHOUGH SOME
FALLACIES CAN HARDLY PERSUADE OR DECEIVE ANY NORMAL PERSON
Fallacy

4. Fallacies of
relevance
Appeal to
emotion
Red herring Straw man
Attack on
the person
Missing the
point
Appeal to
fear/force
Fallacies of
defective
induction
Argument
from
ignorance
Appeal to
inappropriate
authority
False cause
Hasty
generalization
Fallacies of
presumption
Accident
Complex
question
begging the
question
Equivocation Amphiboly Accent Division Composition
Fallacies of
ambiguity
Classification of
fallacies

5. o A FORMAL FALLACY IS A PATTERN OF REASONING THAT IS ALWAYS WRONG.
o THIS IS DUE TO A FLAW IN THE LOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE ARGUMENT WHICH RENDERS THE
ARGUMENT INVALID.
o THE PRESENCE OF A FORMAL FALLACY IN A DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENT DOES NOT IMPLY
ANYTHING ABOUT THE ARGUMENT'S PREMISES OR ITS CONCLUSION.
o BOTH MAY ACTUALLY BE TRUE, OR MAY EVEN BE MORE PROBABLE AS A RESULT OF THE
ARGUMENT, BUT THE DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENT IS STILL INVALID BECAUSE THE CONCLUSION
DOES NOT FOLLOW FROM THE PREMISES IN THE MANNER DESCRIBED.
o BY EXTENSION, AN ARGUMENT CAN CONTAIN A FORMAL FALLACY EVEN IF THE ARGUMENT IS
NOT A DEDUCTIVE ONE
FORMAL FALLACY

6. o IN PHILOSOPHY, THE TERM LOGICAL FALLACY PROPERLY REFERS TO A FORMAL FALLACY:
o A FLAW IN THE STRUCTURE OF A DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENT WHICH RENDERS THE ARGUMENT
INVALID.
o LOGIC IS THE USE OF VALID REASONING;
o A FALLACY IS AN ARGUMENT THAT USES POOR REASONING.
o THEREFORE, THE CLAUSE IS CONTRADICTORY.
o HOWEVER, THE SAME TERMS ARE USED IN INFORMAL DISCOURSE TO MEAN AN ARGUMENT
WHICH IS PROBLEMATIC FOR ANY REASON.
Fallacies of
defective induction

7. o THE ARGUER ASSERTS THAT A CLAIM MUST BE TRUE BECAUSE NO ONE HAS PROVEN IT
FALSE, OR CONVERSELY
o THE ARGUER ASSERTS THAT A CLAIM MUST BE FALSE BECAUSE NO ONE HAS PROVEN IT TO
BE TRUE.
EXAMPLE
o THERE MUST BE INTELLIGENT LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS. NO ONE HAS PROVEN THAT THERE
ISN’T.
o THERE ISN’T ANY INTELLIGENT LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS. NO ONE HAS PROVEN THAT THERE
IS.
Appeal to
Ignorance

8. o BOTH CLAIMS SUFFER FROM THE BASIC FLAW THAT THEY ASSUME THAT THE LACK OF
EVIDENCE FOR (OR AGAINST) THE CLAIM IS GOOD REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THE CLAIM IS
FALSE (OR TRUE).
Why is this an appeal
to ignorance?

9. EXCEPTIONS:
o SOMETIMES THE FACT THAT A SEARCH HASN’T FOUND SOMETHING IS GOOD EVIDENCE THAT
THE THING ISN’T THERE TO BE FOUND (E.G., MEDICAL TRIALS).
o A CAREFUL SEARCH HAS BEEN CONDUCTED, AND IT IS LIKELY THAT THE SEARCH WOULD
HAVE FOUND SOMETHING IS THERE HAD BEEN ANYTHING THERE TO BE FOUND.
o SPECIAL RULES REQUIRE A CLAIM TO BE REJECTED AS FALSE UNLESS A CERTAIN BURDEN OF
PROOF IS MET.
o INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT.
Appeal to
Ignorance

10. Logical Fallacies
In Advertising

11. o IN THIS AD, THE TWO FALLACIES THAT ARE EXECUTED WELL ARE APPEAL TO IGNORANCE AND
CIRCULAR REASONING.
o THE USE OF APPEAL TO IGNORANCE IS PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE AD AS
THE BRAND, SNICKERS, INSISTS THAT, "YOU'RE NOT YOU WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY".
o SNICKERS HAS NO EVIDENCE THAT HUNGER CAN LEAD TO A COMPLETE PHYSICAL AND/OR
BEHAVIORAL ALTERATION IN AN INDIVIDUAL.
o APPEAL TO IGNORANCE IS ALSO SHOWED THROUGH THE PREMISE THAT BY EATING A
CHOCOLATE BAR, ONE'S PERFORMANCE QUALITY WILL GREATLY ENHANCE. AGAIN, THERE IS
NO EVIDENCE.
o THAT CHOCOLATE SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVES ONE'S PHYSICAL AND/OR BEHAVIORAL
PATTERNS, LET ALONE A SNICKERS.
Explaination of
Advertising