LF (1-33) SENTENCES

Post Hoc

The Giants lost today because I forgot to wear my cap backward.

Red Herring

Can you believe that so many people are concerned with global warming? The real threat to our country is terrorism.

Sweeping Generalization

Men are statistically more aggressive than women. Therefore, I, a male, must be more aggressive than you, a female.

Hasty Generalization

Jim Bakker was an insincere Christian. Therefore all Christians are insincere.

Straw Man

After Will said that we should put more money into health and education, Warren responded by saying that he was surprised that Will hates our country so much that he wants to leave it defenseless by cutting military spending.

Begging the Question

Justice League was a horrible movie because all DCEU movies are horrible. Of course DCEU movies are horrible, look at Justice League.

Euphemisms

In the 1940s, America changed the name of the War Department to the Department of Defense. In the 1980s, the Reagan Administration renamed the MX Missile “The Peacekeeper.”

Ambiguity

When the judge asked the defendant why he hadn’t paid his parking fines, he said that he shouldn’t have to pay them because the sign said “Fine for parking here” and so he naturally presumed that it would be fine to park there.

Faulty Analogy

No one objects to a physician looking up a difficult case in medical books. Why, then, shouldn’t students taking a difficult examination be permitted to use their textbooks?

False Dichotomy

He’s either guilty or not guilty.

Loaded Question

Do you feel guilty for your privilege?

Middle Ground

Vaccinations must cause some autism, just not all autism.

The Fallacy Fallacy

Amanda had committed a fallacy in arguing that we should eat healthy foods because a nutritionist said it was popular; Alyse said we should therefore eat bacon double cheeseburgers every day.

The Texas Sharpshooter

The makers of Sugarette Candy Drinks point to research showing that of the five countries where Sugarette drinks sell the most units, three of them are in the top ten healthiest countries on Earth, therefore Sugarette drinks are healthy.

Genetic

Accused on the 6 o’clock news of corruption and taking bribes, the senator said that we should all be very wary of the things we hear in the media, because we all know how very unreliable the media can be.

Confirmation Bias

Sally is in support of gun control. She seeks out news stories and opinion pieces that reaffirm the need for limitations on gun ownership. When she hears stories about shootings in the media, she interprets them in a way that supports her existing beliefs.

Ad Hominem

Sam asks the audience whether we should believe anything from a woman who isn’t married, was once arrested, and smells a bit weird.

Poisoning the Well

My opponent has donated millions to oil companies. He has supported drilling from oil in protected locations. Now, he is going to come and present his energy plan, but let me remind you, he comes as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

False Authority

A popular sport star’s expertise on the playing field does not qualify him to intelligently discuss the benefits of aloe.

Appeal to Authority

Not able to defend his position that evolution ‘isn’t true’ Bob says that he knows a scientist who also questions evolution.

Glittering Generalities

Consider the word democracy. When somebody uses this word in conversation, we fall back on our personal understanding of the term, relying on ideas we learned from our parents, our teachers, our neighbors and our friends. We assume that the other person interprets the term in the same way that we do.

Appeal to Nature

The natural world is characterized by competition; animals struggle against each other for ownership of limited natural resources. Capitalism, the competitive struggle for ownership of capital, is simply an inevitable part of human nature. It’s how the natural world works.

No True Scotsman

No true Scotsman sugars his porridge.

Anecdotal

Jason said that that was all cool and everything, but his grandfather smoked, like, 30 cigarettes a day and lived until 97 - so don’t believe everything you read about meta analysis of methodologically sound studies showing proven causal relationships.

Tu Quoque

Wilma: You cheated on your income tax. Don’t you realize that’s wrong?

Walter: Hey, wait a minute. You cheated on your income tax last year.

Plain Folk

Who would you vote for—someone raised in a working-class neighborhood who has the support of Joe the Plumber or some elitist whose daddy sent him to a fancy school?

Guilt by Association

My opponent is a card-carrying member of the ACLU.

Appeal to Emotion

Luke didn’t want to eat his sheep’s brains with chopped liver and brussel sprouts, but his father told him to think about the poor, starving children in a third world country who weren’t fortunate enough to have any food at all.

Bandwagon

Seamus pointed a drunken finger at Sean and asked him to explain how so many people could believe in leprechauns if they’re only a silly old superstition.

Slippery Slope

If Congress limits the availability of automatic weapons, America will be banning all guns, which will destruct the Constitution, and create a totalitarian police state.

Appeal to the People

You wouldn’t want your kids to be left behind on the information superhighway, would you?

Appeal to Tradition

A boy always serves as the student-body president; a girl always serves as secretary. That is the way it’s always been.

Appeal to Novelty

It’s the latest!

Post Hoc

Yesterday I ate blackberries, and today I have a stomach ache. The blackberries must have caused this stomach ache.

Red Herring

Officer, I was speeding, but I have to return this book to the library or I'll get a late fee.

Sweeping Generalization

That sorority is the richest on campus; so Sue, who belongs to that sorority, must be one of the richest women on campus.

Hasty Generalization

I met two people from a certain city, and they were both rude. Therefore, everyone from that city must be rude.

Straw Man

A: "I think we should have a more flexible schedule for school so students can take more electives."

B: "So, you're saying we should just let students decide what to learn and drop all the important subjects? That's crazy!"

Begging the Question

The Bible is true because it is the word of God, and God is true because the Bible says so.

Euphemisms

She’s not sick; she’s under the weather.

Ambiguity

The governor says, 'Save soap and waste paper.' So soap is more valuable than paper.

Faulty Analogy

A watch is a complex device that requires an intelligent designer. The universe is also complex, therefore it must have been designed by an intelligent designer.

False Dichotomy

Either you're a feminist or you're against women.

Loaded Question

Have you stopped beating your wife?

Middle Ground

One person wants $10,000, and another wants $20,000, so the fair price must be $15,000.

The Fallacy Fallacy

A: "I should wear a lucky shirt to work because my team won last time."

B: “Since A is wrong, wearing a lucky shirt won't work for you. So, let's all just wear ugly shirts to work instead."

The Texas Sharpshooter

Someone claims that people who live near a specific type of factory are more likely to get a particular disease. They might find a few clusters of cases near the factory, and then argue that the factory is causing the disease. However, this could be just random chance. People might simply live closer to the factory due to various factors.

Genetic

The Nazis were the first to research passive smoking and prohibit smoking in public. Therefore, a smoking ban is unacceptable.

Confirmation Bias

If you type the question “are dogs better than cats?” into an online search engine, articles that argue in favor of dogs will appear first. If you reverse the question and type “are cats better than dogs?”, you will get results in support of cats.

Ad Hominem

You can't be trusted to give good advice because you're always late to meetings.

Poisoning the Well

Before you listen to my opponent, may I remind you that he has been in jail.

False Authority

A movie star endorsing a financial product despite having no experience in finance.

Appeal to Authority

I read a book by a nutritionist who says all carbs are bad. That's why I avoid them completely.

Glittering Generalities

Pure, fresh, mountain spring water. Bottled especially for you in Utah from only our purest mountain springs.

Appeal to Nature

Vaccinations are unnatural, so they must be bad for you.

No True Scotsman

No true Christian believes in abortion.

Anecdotal

My aunt lost weight on a low-carb diet, so low-carb diets are the best.

Tu Quoque

A parent tells their child to stop smoking because it's bad for their health. The child responds, "But you used to smoke!"

Plain Folk

A candidate visiting a construction site, wearing a hard hat, work boots, and jeans.

Guilt by Association

Since Mary's friends are all rebels, we should assume that she is a rebel, too.

Appeal to Emotion

A politician might warn that a particular policy will lead to economic collapse if voters don't support their plan.

Bandwagon

"join the thousands"

Slippery Slope

If I give my little sister a break, she'll think she can always get away with anything.

Appeal to the People

A politician might use the American flag or a military image to evoke a sense of national pride, diverting attention from a complex policy issue.

Appeal to Tradition

Marriage has traditionally been between a man and a woman; therefore, gay marriage should not be allowed.

Appeal to Novelty

You need to buy the latest smartphone because it's newer and has the latest features.