35 Logical Fallacies

Ad Hominem

Attacking the person instead of the argument. Example: “You can’t trust his argument—he’s a high school dropout.”

Straw Man

Misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack. Example: “She wants to reduce military spending? She must want to leave us defenseless.”

Appeal to Authority

Claiming something is true because an authority says it is. Example: “A Nobel Prize winner says this shampoo works

False Dilemma

Presenting two options when more exist. Example: “You’re either with us or against us.”

Slippery Slope

Arguing that a minor step will lead to a chain of negative events. Example: “If we allow this

Circular Reasoning

When the conclusion is used as a premise. Example: “He’s lying because he’s dishonest.”

Hasty Generalization

Drawing a broad conclusion from a small sample. Example: “My two coworkers are rude

Post Hoc

Assuming A caused B because A came before B. Example: “The rooster crowed

Appeal to Emotion

Using emotions instead of logic. Example: “Think of the children! We have to ban video games.”

Red Herring

Distracting from the issue with irrelevant information. Example: “Why worry about climate change when we haven’t solved world hunger?”

Bandwagon

Assuming something is good because many believe it. Example: “Everyone is investing in this stock

Begging the Question

Assuming the conclusion in the premise. Example: “Murder is wrong because killing people is immoral.”

Appeal to Ignorance

Arguing something is true because it hasn't been proven false. Example: “No one has disproven aliens

Tu Quoque

Dismissing criticism by accusing the other of hypocrisy. Example: “You say I shouldn’t lie

False Cause

Assuming a cause without proof. Example: “More people get sick in winter

No True Scotsman

Dismissing counterexamples by changing criteria. Example: “No true Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge.”

Loaded Question

A question containing an unfair assumption. Example: “Why are you so lazy?”

Texas Sharpshooter

Cherry-picking data to fit a narrative. Example: “These towns with the lowest cancer rates all drink this water!”

Gambler’s Fallacy

Believing that past random events affect future ones. Example: “I’ve flipped five heads in a row—tails must be next.”

Two Wrongs Make a Right

Justifying bad actions by pointing to others doing the same. Example: “He cheated