AP Lang Logical Fallacies

ad hominem

when a speaker attacks the character or motives of a person instead of focusing on the issue

strawman

when a speaker takes another person's argument or point, distorts or exaggerates it in an extreme way, and then attacks the extreme distortion, as if that were the claim the person is making

hasty (sweeping) generalization

when a speaker reaches a conclusion that is based on too little evidence, generally because the sample size is too small; stereotyping falls into this category

false dilemma (either/or)

when a speaker claims there are only two choices when really there are more

appeal to false authority

when a speaker treats a non-expert as an authority on a matter; many (but not all) celebrity endorsements fall into this category

equivocation

when a speaker changes a word's meaning over the course of an argument; using two different meanings of a word or idea to intentionally mislead

faulty analogy

when a speaker attempts to support a claim using a comparison that isn't suitable for the situation

circular reasoning

when a speaker attempts to support a statement by simply repeating the statement in different terms

hypothesis contrary to fact

when a speaker makes a poorly supported claim about what might have happened in the past or what might happen in the future if circumstances or conditions were different; a hypothetical that cannot be proven or disproven

non sequitur

when a speaker reaches a conclusion that has no connection to the premise

post hoc, ergo propter hoc

when a speaker asserts that because two events occur closely in time, one event must cause the other

poisoning the well

when a speaker makes a preemptive attack against an opponent in an attempt to discount the credibility of the opponent or his/her claim and advance the speaker's own interests

red herring

when a speaker raises an irrelevant side issue to divert attention from the real issue

tu quoque

when a speaker asserts that a statement is false because it is inconsistent with what someone else has said or done; a person is attacked for doing the thing he/she is arguing against (hypocrisy)

slippery slope

when a speaker argues that one thing will inevitably cause another, resulting in disastrous consequences

bandwagon

when a speaker tries to convince someone that something is true because many people believe it is true