Logical Fallacies Review

All-natural fallacy

something is automatically good because it’s “natural” or bad because it’s “unnatural”

Reductio ad Absurdum

showing a claim is false by demonstrating it leads to a logical contradiction or absurd conclusion

Fallacy of antecedent

If A, then B. A is not true, therefore B is not true

Demonizing the opposition

unfairly portrays opponent as evil to make argument seem stronger

Unit fallacy

treats something that should be divided into parts as if it were a single whole

Misinterpreting the evidence

twist or misunderstand facts to support point, even if facts don’t prove it

Hasty generalization

broad conclusion on too little evidence

Begging the question

argument assumes thing it’s trying to prove; nothing is proven (circle)

Many questions fallacy (“loaded question”, complex question fallacy)

asking question that assumes something unproven, trapping person answering

Complex cause

assuming one cause is responsible for something that actually has multiple causes

Red Herring (“Chewbacca defense”)

distracting from main issue with something irrelevant

Straw Man

misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack

Faulty appeal to authority

using someone’s authority as evidence when they’re not an expert on the topic

Slippery slope

claiming one small step will lead to extreme consequences without proof

Faulty appeal to Tradition

arguing something is right just because it’s been done that way for a long time

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc (“Chanticleer fallacy”)

assuming one event follows another, the first caused the second

Personal Attack (aka: Ad Hominem Abusive)

attacking person instead of their argument

Appeal to ignorance

claiming something is true because it hasn’t been proven false (or vice versa)

Appeal to popularity

claiming something is true because many people believe it

False Dilemma/dichotomy

presenting only two options when more exist

False Analogy

comparing two things that aren’t really alike in relevant ways