Informal Fallacy

Correct Arguement

should consist of premises that are related to the conclusion in such a way that the assumed truth of the premises provides good grounds for assenting to the conclusion

FALLACIES OF RELEVANCE

Premises are not relevant to the conclusion

ARGUMENTUM AD BACULUM (Appeal to force/threat)

using threats instead of reasons to persuade

• "If you don't repost this campaign on your Instagram story, I'll remove you from our friend group."

• "Agree with my opinion in the group chat or I'll expose your old messages."

• "Vote for my candidate in the student election, or don't expect my support in your organization activities.

ARGUMENTUM AD MISERICORDIAM (Appeal to pity)

using sympathy instead of evidence

• "Please give me a higher grade. I've been so stressed from binge-watching and staying up all night."

• "You should buy my online shop products because no one is supporting my business."

• "Don't criticize my presentation; I worked on it while dealing with personal problems."

ARGUMENTUM AD POPULUM (Bandwagon Appeal)

• Appeal to people

• Mob appeal fallacy

• Claiming something is true because many people believe or do it

• "This skincare product must work because it's all over TikTok."

• "Everyone in our class uses AI to help with assignments, so it can't be wrong."

• "This meme coin is a good investment because millions of people are buying it."

ARGUMENTUM AD HOMINEM (Personal attack)

• attacking the person rather than the argument

• Instrument of persuasion: discrediting the person

Abusive Ad Hominem

• Poisoning the Well: appeal to personality

• Attacking the character of the person (or pointing facts that elicit negative reactions toward him)

• "Your opinion about climate change doesn't matter because you're not smart."

• "Don't listen to her presentation. She's always late anyway."

• "His political views are wrong because he's annoying."

Circumstantial Ad Hominem

Discredited because the circumstances of that person’s life are such that he or she could be expected to hold exactly those views

• "Of course she supports online learning. She's a working student."

• "You only support environmental policies because you're an environmental science major."

• "You just want faster Wi-Fi because you're always gaming."

TU QUOQUE(You too)

Attempt to defend oneself against some accusation by making a countercharge at the accuser

• "You say students should reduce screen time, but you're always on TikTok."

• "You tell us not to use AI, but you use AI too."

• "Why should I submit on time when you submitted late before?"

STRAW MAN

• Misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack

• Distortion of the opponent’s argument for easy attack

• Exaggeration/misinter pretation

• Student A: "We should limit phone use during lectures." Student B: "So you're saying students should never use phones at all?"

• Student A: "AI should be used responsibly." Student B: "You're saying we should ban AI completely."

• Student A: "We should have fewer major exams." Student B: "You don't want students to be assessed anymore."

ARGUMENTUM AD VERECUNDIAM (Appeal to weak/misplaced authority)

• Relying on authority who is not an expert on the topic

• Appeal authority to weak/misplaced

• Appeal is made to who do not have the proper authority/legitimate claim to the matter at hand

• "This cryptocurrency must be safe because a famous influencer recommended it."

• "This diet must work because my favorite singer follows it."

• "This AI tool is always accurate because a celebrity said so."

ARGUMENTUM AD IGNORANTIAM (Appeal to ignorance)

assuming something is true because it has not been proven false

• "Nobody has proven this viral TikTok life hack is fake, so it must be real."

• "There is no evidence aliens haven't visited Earth, so they must have."

• "No one can prove this online rumor is false, so it's probably true."

POST HOC (False Cause)

• Assuming one event caused another simply because it came first

• An event is mistaken to cause a given effect (no established causal relationship)

• Superstitions and traditions

• “I used a lucky phone wallpaper and passed my exam. The wallpaper helped me pass."

• "Our team won after I changed my profile picture. The new photo brought good luck."

• "I listened to a manifestation playlist and got accepted for an internship, so the playlist caused it."

PETITIO PRINCIPII (Begging the question)

• Leaving a possibly false key premise and creating the illusion that nothing else is needed to establish the conclusion

• “Answering a question just for the sake of answering it”

• "This app is the best because it's better than all the other apps."

• "We should trust this source because it is trustworthy."

• "The rule is fair because it is a fair rule."

COMPLEX QUESTION

• A question that contains an unjustified assumption

• Committed when two or more questions are asked in the guise of a single question and a single answer is then given to both of them

• "When did you stop using AI to cheat on assignments?"

• "Why are students still wasting time on social media during class?"

• “Have you already apologized for spreading fake news online?"

HASTY GENERALIZATION

• Drawing a broad conclusion from too little evidence

• Converse Accident

• What is true of the members of a class is true of all the members of the class

• "Two students used AI irresponsibly, so all students misuse AI."

• "I had one bad online shopping experience, so all online sellers are scams."

• "Three first-year students were noisy, so first year students are immature."