Weasel words (i.e., words that are unhelpfully vague, such as “possibly” and “reportedly”) should be avoided because they can diminish the clarity and honesty of communication, leading to misunderstandings and a lack of trust. Avoiding these words can enhance the transparency and trustworthiness of your statements.
Try QuillBot’s Paraphraser to find the right words to communicate your message.
Continue reading: Why should we avoid using weasel words?
Common weasel words include:
These words allow a speaker or writer to avoid making firm commitments or statements that might later be challenged.
Try QuillBot’s Paraphraser to vary your word choice to communicate clearly and directly.
Continue reading: What are some examples of weasel words?
In commercials, weasel words like “up to,” “virtually,” and “helps” are often used. These words allow companies to make claims about their product without providing details that could later be challenged.
For instance, “This cream helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles” implies assistance without guaranteeing wrinkle elimination.
Use QuillBot’s Paraphrasing Tool to find ways to express your exact meaning and avoid ambiguous language.
Continue reading: What are some examples of weasel words in commercials?
A real-life example of denying the antecedent is the following argument:
This is an invalid argument because the fact that Maria is not a professor does not necessarily mean she does not have a PhD. Maria might be someone who has a PhD but chose a non-academic career path.
Continue reading: What is a real-life example of denying the antecedent?
Denying the antecedent is an invalid argument form. In other words, it is a formal logical fallacy.
In logic, the term “invalid” describes a type of argument in which the premises do not guarantee the truth of the conclusion, even if all the premises are true. In the fallacy of denying the antecedent, it is possible that the expected outcome could occur without one specific cause being true.
Consider the following example:
It is clear that this argument is invalid. The animal could be an insect or a reptile or many other animals. The conclusion is not guaranteed by the premises.
Continue reading: Is denying the antecedent valid or invalid?
Denying the antecedent is a logical fallacy because the absence of one potential cause doesn’t mean that no other causes exist.
Consider the following example:
This argument is clearly faulty because the ground could be wet for many reasons other than rain (e.g., lawn sprinklers). In other words, the conclusion is not solely dependent on the premise.
Continue reading: Why is denying the antecedent a fallacy?
Post hoc ergo propter hoc is a Latin phrase meaning “after this, therefore because of this.” It refers to the logical fallacy of assuming that because Event B follows Event A, Event A caused Event B. This error is often referred to as the post hoc fallacy.
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Affirming the consequent is invalid because it assumes a specific cause for an outcome that can have multiple causes. Consider the formula for affirming the consequent:
The above syllogism is fallacious because Q can be true for reasons other than P. The mistake lies in assuming a single cause for an effect or trait.
For example:
Continue reading: Why is affirming the consequent invalid?
Affirming the consequent and denying the antecedent are both logical fallacies that occur in hypothetical syllogisms, but the two fallacies have different forms.
Affirming the consequent takes the following form:
Denying the antecedent takes the following form:
Continue reading: What is the difference between affirming the consequent and denying the antecedent?
You can avoid committing the affirming the consequent fallacy by remembering that in hypothetical syllogisms, the antecedent should be affirmed instead.
The correct way to form a valid affirmative hypothetical syllogism is:
In this correct form of the syllogism, called modus ponens (or “affirming the antecedent”), the fact that the antecedent (P) is true logically requires that the consequent (Q) is also true.
Continue reading: How can affirming the consequent be avoided?
