Logical fallacies

Ad Hominem

Definition: An attack on the person making an argument rather than the argument itself.
Example: "You can’t trust his opinion on climate change; he’s not even a scientist."

Appeal to Doubtful Authority

Definition: Supporting an argument by citing someone who lacks the credibility to speak on the issue.
Example: "A famous actor says this supplement works, so it must be effective."

Ad Populum (Bandwagon Appeal)

Definition: Arguing that something is true or right because it is popular.
Example: "Everyone is switching to this brand of phone, so it must be the best."

Begging the Question

Definition: Assuming the truth of the conclusion within the premise of the argument.
Example: "We must trust his leadership because he is a good leader."

Circular Argument

Definition: Restating the argument instead of providing evidence.
Example: "This law is necessary because it is essential."

Equivocation

Definition: Using a word with multiple meanings ambiguously to mislead.
Example: "The sign said 'fine for parking here,' so I thought it was fine to park."

False Dilemma (Either/Or Fallacy)

Definition: Presenting only two options when more exist.
Example: "Either we ban cars or let climate change destroy the planet."

Faulty Analogy

Definition: Comparing two things that are not sufficiently alike.
Example: "Letting children play video games is like letting them play with guns."

Genetic Fallacy

Definition: Judging something based on its origin rather than its current meaning or value.
Example: "You can’t trust that new policy because it was proposed by a corrupt politician."

Hasty Generalization

Definition: Drawing a conclusion based on insufficient evidence.
Example: "My first two flights were delayed, so all airlines are unreliable."

Misleading Statistics

Definition: Using statistical data in a way that misrepresents or distorts the truth.
Example: "Our product is 90% effective!" (Without mentioning it was tested on only 10 people.)

Non Sequitur

Definition: A conclusion that does not logically follow from the premises.
Example: "She’s good at math, so she’ll be a great musician."

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc (False Cause)

Definition: Assuming that because one event followed another, the first caused the second.
Example: "I wore my lucky socks, and we won the game, so the socks made us win."

Red Herring

Definition: Introducing irrelevant information to distract from the main issue.
Example: "Why worry about the environment when there are so many other issues in the world?"

Slippery Slope

Definition: Arguing that one small action will lead to a chain of significant negative events.
Example: "If we allow students to redo one test, soon they’ll want to redo every assignment."

Straw Man

Definition: Misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack.
Example: "You say we should recycle more? You just want to ban all packaging!"

Tu Quoque (You Too Fallacy)

Definition: Dismissing an argument by pointing out the opponent’s hypocrisy.
Example: "You say I shouldn’t smoke, but you smoke too!"