Skip to main content
Humanities LibreTexts

5.11: Glossary

  • Page ID
    36170
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    burden of proof The duty to prove some statement you’ve advocated. The burden is usually on the shoulders of the person who wants others to accept his or her statement. When two people make statements that disagree, the burden falls on the shoulders of the person making the more controversial statement.

    counterargument An argument that attempts to undermine another argument.

    euphemism A gentler word or phrase used to replace a harsh-sounding one.

    fallacies Reasoning errors.

    fallacy of avoiding the issue Failing to address the issue at hand by going off on tangents. However, the fallacy isn't committed by a reasoner who says that some other issue must first be settled before the original issue can be adequately addressed.

    fallacy of avoiding the question A type of fallacy of avoiding the issue that occurs when the issue is how to answer some question. The fallacy would be committed if someone's answer were to avoid the question rather than answer it.

    innuendo A negative suggestion made by disguised references or veiled comments about a person.

    issue The specific topic, subject, or central question under discussion, as opposed to the general topic, subject or question.

    knowledge Truths you are justified in believing.

    principle of charity Giving the benefit of the doubt to writers and speakers who have said something silly or obviously false, and not taking them too literally.

    position on an issue Your belief about how an issue should be settled.

    proof An argument that ought to be convincing. It doesn't need to be the sort of thing you would find in a math book. You prove a statement to other persons if you give them reasons that ought to convince them, even if those reasons don't actually convince them.

    red herring fallacy The error of intentionally distracting someone with a side issue or irrelevant issue.

    shifting the burden of proof By making a reasonable case for your position on an issue, you thereby shift the responsibility of proof to the shoulders of your opponent who disagrees with your position.


    This page titled 5.11: Glossary is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Bradley H. Dowden.

    • Was this article helpful?