Logical Fallacies

Logical Fallacy

a flaw in the structure of an argument; makes reasoning feel more persuasive instead of supporting conclusion

Ad Hominem

attack the arguer personally instead of argument

Straw Man

replace someone’s idea with easier to defeat version and knock down fake

Red Herring

introduce an irrelevant but attention-grabbing point to pull the discussion away from question on table

Tu Quoque

dismiss claim/critcism by pointing at user hypocrisy as if inconsistency makes them wrong

Appeal to False Authority

treat endorsement as proof when source has influence/fame but no expertise

Hasty Generalization

draw sweeping conclusion from small or represented sample

False Cause

assume that because one thing followed another, the first caused the second (problem is correlation doesn’t equal causation)

Slippery Slope

claim that a modest step will trigger a big disaster without showing connections

False Dilemma

present two options as if they are the only ones

Circular Reasoning

support a claim with a premise that assumes the claim is true

Bandwagon

argue a claim is true because many people believe it/do it

Appeal to Emotion

substitute a rush of feeling (pity, fear, outrage) for evidence, so emotion carries the conclusion, not facts