Logical Fallacies

Post Hoc

An informal fallacy stating that because event B followed event A, event A must have caused event B, confusing chronological sequence with causation.

Hasty Generalization

Drawing a broad or universal conclusion based on an insufficient, unrepresentative, or overly small sample size.

Strawman

Misrepresenting, exaggerating, or oversimplifying an opponent's position to make it easier to attack or refute.

Circular Reasoning

An argument in which the premise assumes the truth of the conclusion instead of supporting it with independent evidence.

Slippery Slope

Asserting that a relatively small initial step will inevitably trigger a disastrous chain of events without evidence to support that outcome.

Ad Hominem

Attacking an opponent's personal traits, character, or background rather than addressing the substance of their argument.

False Analogy

Assuming that because two things share one or more similarities, they must also be comparable in another unrelated aspect.

False Dilemma

Presenting only two alternative options or outcomes when additional valid possibilities actually exist.

Bandwagon

Arguing that a claim, belief, or action must be correct simply because a large number of people endorse or practice it.

Appeal to Ignorance

Claiming that a proposition is true because it has not been disproven, or false because it has not been proven true.

Red Herring

Introducing an irrelevant topic or distraction into a discussion to divert attention away from the original issue.

Loaded Question

Asking a question that contains an unverified presupposition, trapping the respondent into accepting a premise regardless of how they answer.

Cherry Picking

Selectively presenting only evidence or data that supports a favored position while deliberately ignoring contradictory facts.

Appeal to Fear

Attempting to sway an audience by invoking dread, danger, or panic rather than presenting logical evidence.