logical fallacies

ad hominem

attacking the person making the argument instead of addressing the argument itself

straw man

misrepresenting or exaggerating someone’s position to make it easier to attack

slippery slope

claiming that a relatively small first step will inevitably lead to a chain of extreme consequences without evidence

hasty generalization

drawing a broad conclusion from too small or unrepresentative a sample

false dilemma/false dichotomy

presenting only two options when more exist, forcing a choice between extremes

red herring

introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the original issue

appeal to authority

claiming something is true because an authority figure says something

appeal to emotion

manipulating emotions instead of using logical evidence

bandwagon/appeal to popularity

arguing that something must be true or good because many people believe/do it

post hoc ergo propter hoc

assuming that because one thing followed another, the first caused the second

begging the question

assuming the conclusion in the premise instead of proving it

tu quoque

dismissing criticism by pointing out the opponent’s hypocrisy instead of addressing the argument

equivocation

using a word or phrase with multiple meanings to misleading

no true scotsman

redefining a group to exclude counterexamples after a generalization is challenged

appeal to ignorance

claiming something is true because it hasn’t been proven false (or vice versa)