Logical Fallacies - Ms. Gebel Fall 26

Appeal to Authority

Accepting a claim as true because an unqualified or biased person says it is true

Appeal to Consequence

Judging a statement or belief as true or false based on whether the results are desirable or undesirable

Appeal to Emotion

Trying to win an argument by manipulating people's feelings instead of using facts

Appeal to Hypocrisy

Discredits an opponent's argument by pointing out hypocrisy in their position rather than addressing the argument itself

Erasing the Line

Holding different standards for different people

Appeal to Ignorance

Using lack of evidence as evidence

Appeal to Tradition

Assuming a practice or belief is correct simply because it has been followed for a long time

Appeal to Ridicule

Dismissing as absurd without explaining why because you believe the argument is ridiculous and therefore invalid

Anecdotal

Telling a story as evidence

Bandwagon

Society is for it, so individuals should be too

Bulverism

Presuming the argument is wrong and arguing why your opponent believes something that is wrong

Confirmation Bias

A cognitive tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that confirms preexisting beliefs while ignoring or dismissing contradictory evidence

Empathy

We cannot understand something or argue it unless we have experienced it or are able to do it ourselves

Good Intention

Assumes a claim or action is correct, true, or morally sound solely because the person making it has good intentions

Hard Work

Putting a great amount of effort into something and believing that is all that is needed to achieve a goal or accomplishment

Hasty Generalization

Drawing a conclusion about a population based on a small sample

Missing the Point

The audience believes a truthful, persuasive argument that supports a different conclusion than what the speaker originally said

Oversimplification

A simple solution to a complex problem

Spotlight

When a person assumes that the high-profile media coverage of a specific group or event represents the entire group

False Cause

Correlation does not imply causation

False Syllogism

Arguing a negative chain reaction with little evidence or connection

Universal Statement

Using universal generalization to apply a characteristic to every individual within that population

Argumentum ad Nauseam

Repeating an argument over and over until no one disputes it anymore

Ad Hominem

Criticizing someone based on their character or characteristics, rather than their argument

Guilt by Association

Someone wrongly assumes a person shares the bad traits or guilt of another person or group simply because of a connection

Incriminating Indifference

Acting against what society expects means you're suspicious

Reductio ad Absurdum

Extending an argument to ridiculous proportions and then criticizing the results

Circular Reasoning

Restating without proving, going in a circle

Complex Question

A single question builds in an unproven or controversial assumption, trapping the respondent into implicitly agreeing with it no matter how they answer

Equivocation

An author shifts the meaning of a single word or phrase mid-argument or is too vague

False Dichotomy

A situation is presented as having only two possible options

Presentation

Truth or validity of an argument based on how well or poorly it is presented

Red Herring

A distraction that is used to mislead the audience and convince them to believe something that is not true

Stacking the Deck

When an argument highlights only the examples that support a specific conclusion while ignoring significant evidence to the contrary

Weak Analogy

Comparing two elements that really have nothing to do with each other

Occam's Razor

When several explanations fit, the one that needs the fewest assumptions is usually best

Hanlon's Razor

Don't attribute to malice what can be explained by carelessness, ignorance, or incompetence

Valid Argument

The conclusion follows logically from the premises; if the premises were true, the conclusion would have to be true

True Argument

An argument whose premises (claims) are factually true

Sound Argument

An argument that is both valid and has all true premises