Fallacy Academic

Hasty Generalization

A fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence.

Post Hoc

Assuming that because B comes after A, A caused B.

Slippery Slope

A fallacy that assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent steps that cannot be prevented, usually ending in some dire consequence

Weak Analogy

Claiming that items with only minor similarities are the same in almost everything else.

Appeal to Authority

A fallacy in which a speaker or writer seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for a famous person or institution.

ad populum

This fallacy occurs when evidence boils down to "everybody's doing it, so it must be a good thing to do."

ad hominem

a fallacy that attacks the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute

Straw Man

A fallacy that occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an idea.

Red Herring

A fallacy that introduces an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the subject under discussion

False Dichotomy

Consists of a consideration of only the two extremes when there are one or more intermediate possibilities

Begging the Questions

Occurs when part of what has to be proved is assumed to be true, or when there is a circular argument.

Appeal to Ignorance

A fallacy that uses an opponent's inability to disprove a conclusion as proof of the conclusion's correctness.