Logical Fallacies

ad hominem

(“against the man”) attacking character of speaker instead of addressing topic

EX. A park in the community should not be renovated because the person supporting it was arrested during a domestic dispute.

appeal to false authority

using someone as “expert” who is not actually an expert

EX. Ron Burgundy, a fictional character from the movie Anchorman, advertises for Dodge Durango

faulty analogy

drawing a comparison between two things that is logically irrelevant

EX. Since we put animals who are in irreversible pain out of their misery, we should do the same for people

red herrings

introducing new and unrelated topic before addressing argument topic

I shouldn’t get a ticket for speeding; there are so many dangerous criminals out there!

post hoc ergo propter hoc (faulty causality)

(“after this, therefore because of this”) assuming that because one event or action

follows another, the first causes the second

EX. We elected Johnson as president and look where it got us: hurricanes, floods, stock market crashes.

slippery slope

scare tactic that claims one action will lead to another, more extreme action

EX. If I fail AP Lang, then I won’t get into college and I won’t get a job or fall in love and I’ll die alone!

either/or (false dilemma)

presenting two extreme options as the only possibilities

EX. Either we agree to higher taxes, or our grandchildren will be mired in debt.

straw man

oversimplifying an example to ridicule or refute opponent

EX. Politician X proposes that we put astronauts on Mars in the next four years. Politician Y ridicules this proposal by saying that his opponent is looking for “little green men in outer space.”

bandwagon appeal

evidence boils down to “everybody’s doing it, so it must be good”

EX. You should vote for Rachel Johnson - she has a strong lead in the polls!

circular reasoning

presenting the claim as if it is the evidence

EX. You can’t give me a C; I’m an A student!

hasty generalization

using a single anecdote or example to make major/larger point

EX. Smoking isn’t bad for you; my great aunt smoked a pack a day and lived to be 90.

stack the deck

argument that shows only one side of the story and refuses to even admit the existence of counterargument

EX. “Honey, I bought this new cereal and it’s low-fat!”

“Ok, but how much sugar is in it?”

“It’s low-fat and has Vitamin C!”