Untitled

1. Ad hominem - a fallacy of argument in which a writer’s claim is answered by irrelevant

attacks on his/her character

2. Bandwagon appeal – a fallacy of argument in which a course of action is recommended

on the grounds that everyone else is following it

3. Begging the Question (Circular Reasoning) – a fallacy of argument in which a claim is

based on the very grounds that are in doubt or dispute: Rita can’t be the bicycle thief;

she’s never stolen anything.

4. Equivocation – a fallacy of argument in which a lie is given the appearance of truth, or in

which the truth is misrepresented in deceptive language

5. False analogy – a fallacy of argument in which a comparison between two objects or

concepts is inaccurate or inconsequential

6. False dilemma (Either/Or) – a fallacy of argument in which a complicated issue is

misrepresented as offering only two possible alternatives, one of which is often made to

seem vastly preferable to the other.

7. Faulty Causality – a fallacy of argument making the unwarranted assumption that

because one event follows another, the first event causes the second

8. Hasty generalization – inference drawn from insufficient evidence: Because MY Fiat

broke down, then ALL Fiats must be junk.

9. Non-sequitur – a fallacy of argument in which claims, reasons, or warrants fail to

connect logically; one point doesn’t follow from another; If you’re really my friend, you’ll

lend me five hundred dollars.

10. Red Herring – a fallacy of argument in which a writer abruptly changes the topic in order

to distract readers from potentially objectionable claims

11. Scare tactic – a fallacy of argument presenting an issue in terms of exaggerated threats

or dangers

12. Slippery Slope – a fallacy of argument exaggerating the possibility that a relatively

inconsequential action or choice today will have serious adverse consequences in the

future

13. Stacking the Deck – a fallacy of argument in which the writer shows only one side of an

argument

14. Straw Man – a fallacy of argument in which an opponent’s position is misrepresented as

being more extreme than it actually is, so that it’s easier to refute