4.10: Glossary

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Bradley H. Dowden
California State University Sacramento

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anecdote A report of an individual's own experience, a firsthand report.

credibility A person’s credibility on some issue is their ability to offer solid grounds for deciding the issue. Credibility is a matter of degree, and it involves both the honesty of the person and how much of an expert they are.

fallacy of misplaced burden of proof Committing the error of trying to get someone else to prove you are wrong, when it is your responsibility to prove you are correct.

fake news: Non-news, especially disinformation presented as if it were news. It is either a lie or a misrepresentation of a situation.

principle of fidelity The principle requiring you to preserve the intended meaning of the speaker's original statements when you are analyzing them.

principle of charity The principle that says to interpret a claim in its best light. If it seems obviously false, try to find a re-interpretation that makes it reasonable without violating the principle of fidelity by putting words into the claimant’s mouth that the claimant would not accept.