Logical Fallacies

Red Herring: introducing new and unrelated topics before addressing the argument topic

Ad hominem: (“against the man”) attacking the character of the speaker instead of addressing the topic

Faulty Analogy (also called false analogy) compares two things that are not logically relevant.

Appeal to False Authority: Using someone as an “expert” who is not an expert.

Straw Man: oversimplifying/misrepresenting an example to ridicule or refute an opponent

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: assuming that because one event or action

follows another, the first causes the second

False Dilemma: Presenting two extreme options as if they are the only possibilities

Slippery Slope: Scare tactic that claims one action will lead to another, more extreme action

Non-Sequitur: Claim where the reason/conclusion doesn’t connect logically

Equivocation: When an argument hinges on the ambiguous meanings of keywords or phrases

Hasty Generalization: When there is not enough evidence to support a particular conclusion. 

Stack the Deck: An argument that shows only one side of the story and refuses even to admit the existence of an opposing argument

Circular reasoning: An argument is circular if its conclusion is among its premises if it assumes (either explicitly or not) what it is trying to prove.

Bandwagon Appeal: Evidence boils down to “everybody’s doing it, so it must be good”