Logical Fallacies

Ap Lang and Comp

Fallacy

An argument that is flawed by its very nature or tructure. This is not absolute—depending on context and audience, some fallacies can be used purposely to persuade in certain situations (advertising, politics)

Ad Hominem

A fallacy that attacks the character of the person making an argument rather than addressing the argument itself. (ethos)

Tu Quoque

A fallacy that discredits an opponent's argument by pointing out hypocrisy in their behavior, rather than addressing the argument itself. (pathos/ethos)

Genetic fallacy

A fallacy that dismisses an argument based on its origin or source rather than its actual merits. (ethos)

Ad Baculum

A fallacy that relies on force or threats to persuade the audience, rather than presenting logical arguments. (pathos)

Appeal to Pity

A fallacy that seeks to persuade by eliciting sympathy or pity from the audience instead of providing logical reasoning. (pathos)

Ad populum/Bandwagon

A fallacy that argues something is true or acceptable simply because it is popular or widely believed, appealing to the audience's desire to fit in. (pathos)

Snob Appeal

A fallacy that argues something is true or valuable based on its association with a perceived elite or exclusive group, appealing to the audience's desire for prestige. (pathos)

Ad Verecundium

A fallacy that relies on the authority of a person or institution to support a claim, rather than providing logical reasoning. (pathos)

Appeal to tradition

A fallacy that argues something is true or acceptable simply because it has been traditionally done or believed, appealing to the audience's respect for history and customs. (pathos)

Appeal to Patriotism

A fallacy that argues something is true or acceptable based on its alignment with national pride or loyalty, appealing to the audience's emotional attachment to their country. (pathos)

Ad Miscriordiam

Arguments that appeal to the hearts of readers, especially tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia

Dogmatism

A fallacy that asserts a particular belief or doctrine is unquestionably true, dismissing alternative viewpoints or evidence without consideration.

Moral Equivalence

A fallacy that compares minor misdeeds with major atrocities, suggesting that both are equally wrong, often to dismiss the severity of one.

Red Herring

A fallacy that introduces irrelevant information or distractions to divert attention from the original issue or argument. (logos)

Appeal to Ignorance

A fallacy that claims a proposition is true simply because it has not been proven false, or vice versa, often used to shift the burden of proof. (logos)

Straw Man

A fallacy that misrepresents an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack or refute, often by exaggerating or simplifying their position. (logos)

Non Sequitur

A fallacy where the conclusion does not logically follow from the premises, creating a disconnect between the argument's components. (logos)

Either-or (false dilemma)

A fallacy that presents only two options or outcomes in a situation, ignoring other viable alternatives, thereby simplifying complex issues. (pathos/logos)

Begging the Question

A logical fallacy in which the conclusion is assumed in one of the premises, creating a circular argument that lacks independent support. (logos)

Is-Ought Fallacy

A fallacy that asserts how things should be based solely on how things are, confusing descriptive statements with prescriptive conclusions. (logos)

Faulty cause (post hoc)

A logical fallacy that assumes that because one event occurred after another, the first event must be the cause of the second, ignoring other possible explanations. (logos)

Sweeping Generalization

A logical fallacy that applies a general rule too broadly, ignoring exceptions and leading to faulty conclusions. (logos)

Hasty Generalization

A logical fallacy that draws a conclusion based on an insufficient or unrepresentative sample, leading to inaccurate or exaggerated claims. (logos)

Faulty Analogy

A logical fallacy that compares two things that are not truly comparable, leading to misleading conclusions based on false similarities. (logos)

Slippery Slope

A logical fallacy that argues that a relatively small first step or action will lead to a chain of related events culminating in a significant impact, often with little evidence to support such progression. (pathos)

Equivocation

A logical fallacy that uses ambiguous language to mislead or misrepresent the truth, often by exploiting multiple meanings of a word or phrase. (logos)