Logical Fallacies

What is cherry picking?

Picking/choosing only SOME of the evidence to present most favorable points to an argument.

Ex: “It’s cold today so global warming isn’t real”

What is a straw man?

Oversimplifying an opposing perspective to make it easy to attack

Ex: “If we legalize all drugs, society will fall apart” as an opposition to marijuana

What is a red herring?

Changing topics to avoid the point being discussed

Ex: “Why worry about animal extinction when we have homeless people in our country?”

What is an ad hominem?

Making a personal attack instead of addressing the argument

Ex: You’re too stupid to be right

What is an ad populum?

Arguing based on the idea that something is true just because a group or majority believes it/practices it

Ex: Extended warranty is popular, so it must be a smart decision

What is a false dilemma/either or?

Attempts to create a situation of absolutes with no options in between

Ex: If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem

What is slippery slope?

One thing will have a series of consequences, often leading to worst-case scenario

Ex: If I go to a party, I will fail my test, not get a degree, and be unemployed

What is bandwagon?

Assumes someone will follow the crowd in joining or doing b/c everyone else is

Ex: I’m going to buy this because it’s best-selling

What is false authority?

This attempts to use credentials that do not apply in the situation

Ex: My doctor said this new policy will lead to a downturn

What is dogmatism?

Fallacy relies on the assumption the truth is self-evident and needs no further explanation

Ex: Anyone who disagrees with this is morally corrupt

What is stacking the deck?

A fallacy used when only one line of reasoning is used to support an argument - ignores the oppositional reasoning

Ex: Cats are superior to dogs because they are cleaner and more independent (ignoring dogs’ trainability)

What is post hoc, ergo propter hoc?

“After this, therefore because of this” meaning one even caused another, when it’s really just a correlation

Ex: I drank herbal tea, and my headache went away. Therefore, the tea cured my headache

What is begging the question?

This fallacy occurs when the speaker assumes that the conclusion of their argument without proving the lines - being redundant or circular

Ex: “Snakes make great pets. That’s why we should get a snake.”

What is equivocation?

Relies on ambiguous use of a key term within the argument thereby misleading the reader/listener

Ex: A bat is a mammal; therefore, baseball players use mammals to hit baseballs

What is a non-sequitur?

Skips or confuses logical steps thereby making an argument appear to be hollow

Ex: If you love me, you’d take me to Hawaii

What argumentum ad Passiones?

Occurs when someone tries to convince someone based on feelings instead of providing evidence

Ex: I know I was speeding, but today is a beautiful day!

What is Argumentum ad Misericordiam?

Someone attempts to persuade others by provoking feelings of guilt or pity

Ex: You can’t break up with me, I will have nothing left in my life!

What is base rate fallacy?

Refers to the tendency to ignore relevant statistical information in favor of case-specific information

Ex: Blue cab problem

What is an ecological fallacy?

Logical error that occurs where the characteristics of a group are attributed to an individual

Ex: Because a state is wealthy, each household is wealthy

What is a genetic fallacy?

The act of rejecting or accepting an argument based on its origin rather than its content

Ex: a Harvard professor said climate change is fake, so it must be fake

What is no true Scotsman fallacy?

Changing the definition of who or what belongs to a group or category

Ex: No true Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge

What is a hasty generalization?

A conclusion made from not enough evidence - one piece of info used to make a broad conclusion

Ex: My laptop crashed, so all Apple products are bad