Common Logical Fallacies and Their Examples

Appeal to authority

Traditionally called Argumentum ad Verecundiam. People often listen to someone famous or powerful, even to a celebrity who has no connection with what's being endorsed.

Appeal to fear

This trick causes your audience to fear others and seek your protection.

Appeal to pity

This allows manipulators to avoid responsibility for something by invoking sympathy.

Appeal to popular passions

Traditionally called Argumentum ad Populum. This trick implies that the manipulator shares the same views as the audience.

Begging the question

Traditionally called Petitio Principii, this fallacy leans on an argument that may not be true in the first place.

Disinformation

Manipulators know that merely launching a rumor is sometimes enough to discredit a person.

False dilemma

A false dilemma assumes that only two options exist.

False analogy

This trick uses misleading comparisons to make the arguer seem right.

Faulty statistics

This involves manipulating numbers or quoting statistics from questionable sources to gain the perception of validity.

Hasty generalization

This means rushing to conclusions based on incomplete information.

Ignoring the evidence

Traditionally called apiorism. We often ignore things we don't want to consider for fear they will produce more work or further confusion.

Loaded label or definition

Loaded labels or definitions use words that evaluate or have different connotations.

Non sequitur

Translated as 'it does not follow,' non sequitur refers to any claim that doesn't follow from its premises or is supported by irrelevant premises.

Poisoning the well

Arguers poison the well by discrediting an opponent or opposing view in advance.

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc

Meaning 'after this, therefore because of this,' this fallacy happens when a sequential relationship is mistaken for a causal relationship.

Red herring

A red herring is an emotionally charged issue brought up to divert attention from something the manipulator wants to avoid.

Shifting the burden of proof

Manipulators know that having to prove an argument true makes their job more difficult; so they try to shift that burden to their opponent.

Slippery slope

This implies that the end result of today's actions could be something terrible.

Spin

Spin doctors use the media to positively represent their own viewpoints and encourage criticism of others.

Straw man

We take an argument we disagree with and mischaracterize it so it looks weak or extreme, thus making our own side appear more reasonable.