logical fallacies

Ad Hominem

A fallacy in which a speaker attacks an opponent's personal character or professionalism rather than addressing the merits of their argument.

Ad Hominem Attack Example

An example of an ad hominem attack is: 'You only say that because you are lazy and hate studying.'

False Equivalence

A fallacy where two opposing arguments are presented as logically equivalent despite being fundamentally different.

False Equivalence Example

An example of false equivalence is: 'You can kill with a pencil too,' in response to banning public use of weapons.

Bandwagon Fallacy

A fallacy that assumes something is right simply because everyone else is doing it.

Appeal to False Authority

A fallacy that relies on an unqualified person, celebrity, or expert in an unrelated field to validate a claim.

Hasty Generalization

A fallacy that applies a situation to a universal claim, assuming everyone behaves the same way.

Slippery Slope

A fallacy that asserts one action will lead to severe and undesirable consequences.

Straw Man

A fallacy that exaggerates or misinterprets an opponent's claim to make it easier to refute.

Straw Man Response Example

An example of a straw man response is: 'So you think our children should be running around doing drugs?'

Red Herring

A fallacy used to distract from the main subject or question.

False Dilemma

A fallacy that presents two extreme alternatives, ignoring other possible options.

Guilt by Association

A fallacy where someone is blamed for a wrongdoing simply because they associate with someone else who is wrong.

Faulty Appeal to Emotion

A fallacy in which emotional manipulation is used to gain support for an argument.

Correlation Proves Causation

A fallacy that assumes one event causes another simply because they occur simultaneously.

No True Scotsman

A fallacy that avoids valid criticisms by altering the definition of a group during a debate.

Spotlight Fallacy

A fallacy where media coverage of a specific individual leads to incorrect assumptions about the norm.

Two Wrongs Make a Right

A fallacy that justifies a wrong action by pointing to another person's similar wrongdoing.

Appeal to Tradition

A fallacy that claims a belief is right because it has always been that way.

Loaded Question

A question that is phrased to contain a faulty assumption about the person answering it.

Cherry Picking

Selecting evidence that supports a claim while ignoring evidence that contradicts it.

Circular Reasoning

A logical fallacy in which the evidence used to support a claim is just a restatement of that claim.