ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we covered the Big Five fallacies. Now that you have a grasp of faulty cause, faulty analogy, faulty sign, hasty generalization, and sweeping generalization, let’s consider some additional fallacies. While slightly less common, they are nevertheless important to know before wading into an argument. In the case of the Big Five, the arguments are usually flawed because an unwarranted inferential leap is being made. Other fallacies, however, involve different flaws, such as suspect premises or warrants. The first four fallacies we examine in this chapter––begging the question, bifurcation, false dilemma, and hypothesis contrary to fact––all attempt to smuggle assumptions into an argument based on unstated, unproven, biased, or flawed premises. Later, we’ll examine arguments that are flawed in other ways.
