fallacies

Ad Hominem

Attacks person making the argument instead of addressing the argument

Straw Man

Misrepresents or oversimplifies an opponents position so the weaker version can be easily knocked down

Red Herring

Introduces an irrelevant topic to pull attention away from the original issue

Bandwagon

(FOMO) uses feelings, popularity, fear, or pity in place of relevant evidence or reasoning

Slippery slope

The claim that one action will inevitably trigger a chain of worse and worse consequences, without showing that each step actually has to follow

Circular reasoning

The restating the claim as if it were evidence for itself, so the argument goes in a loop instead of offering new support

Hasty generalization

Jumping to a wide conclusion form too little evidence or from examples that don’t fairly represent the whole group

False dilemma

Presenting only 2 options as if they were the only possible choices, when other reasonable options exist

False Cause

Treating one event as the fuse of another because it came first, or because the two showed up together

Appeal to ignorance

Treating the absence of disproof or the absence of proof as disproof

Appeal to unqualified authority

Citing a person status, fame, or confidence in place of relevant expertise

False analogy

Treating two cases as the same because they share a surface feature, then transferring the conclusion from one to the other

Cherry picking

Selecting the detail that helps and burying the pattern, the context, or the contrary data

Equivocation

A key word changes the meaning halfway through, and the conclusion only follows if the two meanings are the same word

Appeal to emotion

Fear, pity, anger, or flattery is offered as if it were evidence

Appeal to tradition

Treating “we have always don’t it” as proof that the practice is effective, fair or true

Load question

A question that hides a claim that the other person has not accepted. Any answer conforms the hidden claim.

Genetic fallacy

Judging a claim by white jt came from rather than the reasons for it