Rhetorical Fallacies

False Authority

Asks audiences to agree with the speaker’s assertion based on his/her character or the authority of another person or institution that isn’t qualified to offer that assertion. (Ethos)

Guilt by Association

Calls someone’s character into question by examining the character of that person’s associations. (Ethos)

Dogmatism

Shuts down discussion by asserting that the speaker’s beliefs are the only acceptable ones. (Ethos)

Ad Hominem

Character attack, arguments that attack a person’s character rather than their reasoning. (Ethos)

Strawman

Distorting an opposing position into an extreme version of itself and then arguing against that. (Ethos)

Appeal to Pity

The appeal to pity takes place when an arguer tries to get people to accept a conclusion by making them feel sorry for someone. (Pathos)

Scare Tactics

These try to frighten people into agreeing with the arguer by threatening them or predicting unrealistically dire consequences. (Pathos)

Bandwagon

Encourage an audience to agree with the speaker because everyone else is doing it. (Pathos)

Slippery Slope

These arguments suggest that one thing will lead to another, oftentimes with disastrous consequences. (Pathos)

False Need

These arguments create a need that doesn’t really exist. (Pathos)

Faulty Generalization

Draws conclusions from minimal evidence. (Logos)

Post Hoc

These arguments confuse chronology with causation, one event can occur without being caused by it. (Logos)

Non Sequitur

A statement that doesn’t logically follow or relate to what comes before it. (Logos)

Red Herring

When the speaker diverts the attention by changing the subject, or distracting the audience. (Logos)

False Dichotomy

When the arguer sets up the situation as if there are only two choices. He then eliminates one choice, so it seems there’s only one option left. (The one he wants us to pick) (Logos)

We’re a small nonprofit organization with limited resources and no paid staff. Donate now and save a life.

Appeal To Pity

The Earth is flat, no more discussion.

Dogmatism

Why are you giving me a ticket? Shouldn’t you be out catching Real criminals? Someone could be robbing a bank right now!

Red Herring

Lowering the voting age to 16 will make 14-year-olds want to vote, and then once we lower it to 14, we’ll find ourselves asking if we should lower it again to 12 or even 10

Slippery Slope

My bestie said so, so that’s what’s true.

False Authority

You’ll get cancer if you keep eating sweets, and at Mcdonal’s flipping burgers.

Scare Tactics

You absolutely need these gummies, if you want people to think you’re cool.

False Need

This doctor is a bad driver, so he must be bad at his job also!

Ad Hominem

We should not have stronger regulations on factory emissions because cyclists run red lights and endanger pedestrians.

Or

We should not invest in education because some students don't take it seriously

Strawman

Science vs Religion: "You're either with us or against us

False Dichotomy

If Jo loves to read, she must hate movies

Non Sequitur

Don’t follow the directions, no one else is!

Bandwagon

One Chinese man didn’t get my order right, so the Chinese must all be criminals!

Faulty Generalization

Don’t be friends with Suzie, I once heard she robbed a bank, and all her friends are in jail.

Guilt by Association

I wore my lucky socks, and we won the game; therefore, my socks brought us victory

Post Hoc