Logical Fallacies

Ad Hominem

Attacking the person making the argument, rather than addressing the argument the person is making.

Strawman

Intentionally misrepresenting the other side's argument to make it easier to defeat instead of addressing the other side's actual argument.

Slippery Slope

One event will lead to a series of events and eventually will lead to something very bad.

Red Herring

Distracting from the real issue with an irrelevant point or piece of information.

Hasty Generalization

Making a claim or drawing a conclusion without having enough information.

Ad Populum

The argument that because something is popular it is good or the truth.

Appeal to Emotion

Appealing only to the audience’s emotions as the main premise for the argument.

False Analogy

Attempting to compare two things that are too dissimilar in nature as the basis of your point.

False Dichotomy

Leading the audience to believe there are only two choices - either this or that.

Post Hoc

The assumption that because B came after A, A must have caused B; hastily drawing a causal conclusion.

Band Wagon

Suggesting that a new idea is best because of its popularity, but without regard to its validity.

Begging the Question

Asking the audience to believe a reason without offering evidence to support it.

Cherry Picking

Intentionally omitting or ignoring relevant information to make your argument stronger.

Appeal to Authority

Using a ‘big name’ to persuade the audience to accept your beliefs, even though they are not an authority on the issue.