Studied by 1 person
logical fallacies
potential weaknesses in an argument
Red Herring
switching the topic in order to avoid discussion of the original topic.
Ex: We can argue about my test grades all night, but what we really need to talk about is my new car.
Straw Man
exaggerates argument into something it isn’t.
Ex: Speaker 1 - You really shouldn’t have this opinion.
Speaker 2 - Oh, no one is allowed to have opinions anymore!
Post hoc ergo proper hac (PHEPH)
improper correlation
Ex: We decided to elect him as President and look where it got us: floods, hurricanes, and stock market crashes.
Ad Hominem
switching the argument to the character of the other speaker.
Ex: We can not support him wanted to renovate the park, he was arrested for a DUI three years ago.
Faulty Analogy
comparing two things that are not comparable.
Ex: We put animals who are in irreversible pain out of their misery, so we should do the same for people.
False dilemma (either/or)
two extreme options as the only choices possible.
Ex: Either we agree to higher taxes, or our grandchildren will be mired.
Hasty Generalization
not enough evidence to support the speaker’s conclusion.
Ex: Smoking isn’t bad for you; my great aunt has smoke all her life and she is 90.
Circular reasoning
the claim is used as the evidence, resulting in no evidence.
Ex: You can not give me a C, I am an A student.
Appeal to False Authority
cites person who is not qualified as an expert.
Ex: A basketball player in a jewelry commercial.
Ad populum (bandwagon appeal)
basis of evidence on what is popular.
Ex: You should vote to elect Rachel, she has a strong lead in the polls.
