Logical Fallacies Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice cards defining common logical fallacies discussed in the lecture notes.

Ad Hominem

Attacking the person instead of the argument.

Straw Man

Misrepresenting someone’s argument.

False Dilemma

Only two options are presented.

Bandwagon Appeal

Something is true because many believe it.

Slippery Slope

One step leads to extreme outcomes.

Hasty Generalization

Conclusion from little evidence.

Appeal to Authority

Authority used as proof.

Post Hoc (Ergo Proctor Hoc)

A claim is only true after the results have been shown.

Circular Reasoning

Conclusion repeats itself and you end up circling back to the same problem over and over again without resolution.

Loaded Question

Built-in assumption inside the question that leads the person into complicated answers or inflammatory answers.

Emotional Appeal

Uses emotion over logic.

Appeal to Tradition

We have always done it this way, so we cannot change it without great consequences.

Red Herring

Distracts from issue; use another argument to distract from answering the question or providing evidence.

Genetic Fallacy

When you judge an idea based on who or what demonstrated the idea.

Burden of Proof

Others must disprove claim, and if they can’t the claim is correct.

Correlation/Causation Fallacy

Your claim is based on the assumption that if two events happen at the same time, one caused the other. It ignores other events or evidence.