17 Common Fallacies: Definitions

circular reasoning

Reasoning that restates the claim rather than proving it by explaining valid evidence.

hasty generalization

Reasoning that makes a sweeping statement without considering all the facts or all the possible cases.

slippery slope

Reasoning where the conclusion relies on the idea that one small step will lead to a chain of events, the last event in the chain being very significant

straw man

Reasoning that distorts (restates, rephrases, takes out of context) an opponent's claim so it is easier to refute. The argument might also try to refute a point someone made with a refutation of a different point the first arguer didn't make.

ad hominem

Reasoning that attacks a person's moral character or personal attributes in order to discredit their argument.

false dichotomy

Reasoning that presents two points or possibilities while disregarding or ignoring others in order to narrow the argument in one person's favor.

appeal to emotion

Reasoning that uses emotionally-charged language to try to persuade the reader or listener of a certain belief or position, often in the absence of factual evidence.

equivocation

Reasoning that presents an idea in an ambiguous or double-sided way, making the argument misleading. Often relies on words and expressions with multiple meanings.

bandwagon

Reasoning that presents the thoughts of a group of people in order to persuade someone to think the same way. "Everyone believes this, so you should too."

false analogy

Reasoning that compares two very unlike things based on a trivial similarity in order to make a point.

gambler's

Reasoning that, in situation that is pure random chance, the outcome can be affected by previous outcomes.

loaded question

reasoning that has a presumption or unfounded claim built into it so that it could not be answered completely without appearing guilty.

Texas sharpshooter

the cherry-picking of evidence (such as data) to support one's argument; the seeking of a source or a pattern to fit a presumption.

false cause

Reasoning that assumes without sufficient evidence that a real or perceived correlation between two events means one caused the other

red herring

An irrelevant topic or idea introduced (often in refutation of an argument) that is intended to distract listeners from the original question or issue.

non sequitur

An argument in which the conclusion does not follow from the evidence and reasoning.

appeal to false authority

An argument in which evidence provided comes from someone who does not have authority to make claims on that topic.