LOGICAL FALLACIES HANDLIST

Appeal to Force

An argument that uses force or threats to compel acceptance of a conclusion.

Ad Hominem Fallacy

Attacking or praising the individual making an argument instead of addressing the argument itself.

Bandwagon Approach

Asserting that an argument is true because the majority believes it, often summarized as "everybody is doing it."

Appeal to Tradition

Claiming a premise is true because it has always been believed or practiced.

Appeal to Improper Authority

Citing an authority figure who is not a reliable source to support an argument.

Appeal to Biased Authority

Referencing a knowledgeable authority whose judgment may be influenced by personal or professional biases.

Begging the Question

Making a conclusion based on an unsupported premise, often assuming the conclusion is true without proof.

Circular Reasoning

A subtype of begging the question where the premise and conclusion are essentially the same, obscured by different wording.

Hasty Generalization

Making a conclusion based on insufficient evidence or too few samples.

Misleading Statistic

Using selective statistics to support a flawed argument, such as generalizing from a small sample size.

False Causality Fallacy

Incorrectly establishing a cause/effect relationship based on the order of events rather than actual causation.

Red Herring Fallacy

Diverting attention from the main issue by introducing an irrelevant topic.

Straw Man Fallacy

Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to refute.

Slippery Slope Fallacy

Arguing that a small first step will lead to a chain of related events resulting in a significant impact.

False Dilemma Fallacy

Presenting only two options when more exist, oversimplifying the argument.

Faulty Analogy

Using comparisons to support an argument without sufficient deductive or inductive reasoning.

Equivocation

Changing the meaning of a word or phrase during an argument, leading to confusion.

Stacking the Deck/Cherry-Picking

Selectively presenting evidence that supports a claim while ignoring counterexamples.

Argument from the Negative

Asserting that if one position is false, the opposite must be true without further evidence.

Loaded Question Fallacy

Framing a question in a way that presupposes an unproven statement is true.