Philosophy 125: Final Exam Study Guide

For the Final Exam you should know the following fallacies. A list of the names of the fallacies will be provided for you on the exam.

I.    Fallacies of Relevance
    a.    Appeal to Emotion
        i.    Appeal to pity
    b.    Red Herring
    c.    Straw Man
    d.    Attack on the Person (Argument ad hominem)
        i.    Abusive
        ii.   Circumstantial
        iii.   Genetic
    e.    Appeal to Force
    f.    Missing the Point
II.    Fallacies of Defective Induction
    a.    Ignorance
    b.    Appeal to Inappropriate Authority
    c.    False Cause
        i.    Post hoc ergo propter hoc
        ii.    Slippery slope
    d.    Hasty Generalization
III.    Fallacies of Presumption
    a.    Accident
    b.    Complex Question
    c.    Begging the Question
IV.    Fallacies of Ambiguity
    a.    Equivocation
    b.    Amphiboly
    c.    Accent
    d.    Composition
    e.    Division

You should be able to match the name of the fallacy to its definition.
You should be able to identify the fallacy committed in a passage that you read.

In addition to the fallacies, you should be able to perform the following tasks:

Know the two things to look at when evaluating the credibility of a claim as well as the questions to ask in regard to those two issues.
Be familiar with some of the significant questions to ask in connection with assessing the credibility of traditional and alternative forms of media.
Articulate the 5 features of Darwin's Theory of Evolution.
Explain the 5 features we would expect of any good scientific explanation.
Explain the 3 criteria scientists use to decide among competing hypotheses.

For the final exam, you will only need to bring a writing implement to class (pen or pencil, your choice)

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