Logical fallacy

Ad Hominem

Attacking the person instead of the argument. "You can't trust John's argument on climate change because he's not a scientist."

Straw Man

Misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack. "Person A: We should have stricter gun control laws. Person B: Person A wants to take away all our guns and leave us defenseless."

Appeal to Ignorance (Burden of Proof)

Claiming something is true because it hasn't been proven false. "No one has proven that aliens don't exist

False Dilemma (Black or White)

Presenting two options as the only possibilities when more exist. "You're either with us or against us."

Slippery Slope

Arguing that a small first step will inevitably lead to a chain of related events with a stated impact. "If we allow students to redo their assignments

Circular Reasoning (Begging the Question)

The reasoner begins with what they are trying to end with. "We must trust the news because it is reliable. How do we know it's reliable? Because it comes from trustworthy sources."

Hasty Generalization (Anecdotal)

Making a broad generalization based on a small sample. "My friend got sick after eating at that restaurant

Red Herring

Introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the original issue. "Why worry about the environment when there are so many people unemployed?"

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Assuming that because one event followed another

Bandwagon Appeal

Arguing that something is true or right because everyone else believes it or does it. "Everyone is buying the latest smartphone

Appeal to Authority

Believing something is true because an authority figure believes it. "A famous actor says this diet works

False Equivalence

Comparing two things as if they are equal when they are not. "People who oppose mandatory vaccinations are just as bad as those who support child abuse."

Appeal to Emotion

Manipulating an emotional response instead of presenting a logical argument. "Think of the children! We must ban all violent video games."

Tu Quoque

Avoiding criticism by turning it back on the accuser. "You say I shouldn't smoke

No True Scotsman

Making an appeal to purity as a way to dismiss relevant criticisms or flaws of an argument. "No true Scotsman would ever commit such a crime."