Common Fallacies and Cognitive Biases

Ad Hominem

Attack the person

Bandwagon

Everyone does it → must be right

Straw Man

Twist their words

Red Herring

Change the subject

Hasty Generalization

Small sample → big claim

False Cause

A before B → A caused B

Weak/False Analogy

Bad comparison

Slippery Slope

Small step → huge disaster

Appeal to Authority

Wrong expert → trust anyway

Oversimplified Cause

One cause → ignore others

Cognitive Bias

Mental shortcut → errors

Cognitive Dissonance

Conflicting thoughts → discomfort

Confirmation Bias

Only believe what fits

Self-Serving Bias

Credit self for wins, blame others for fails

Bandwagon Effect

Follow the crowd

Groupthink

Group harmony → bad choices

In-Group Bias

Favor my group

Implicit Bias

Hidden stereotypes affect actions