Fallacies

Type of Fallacy

Examples

Either-Or Fallacy

  • “You’re either a cat person or a dog person. Nobody loves them both equally!”

  • “If you’re not a vegetarian, you must not care about animal welfare. There’s no principled in-between position.”

  • “Either make the cookies now or we won’t have any for the party.”

Hasty Generalization

  • “Of course they lied. All politicians are liars!”

  • “I met two teenagers who were rude. Teenagers these days have no respect!”

  • “My sister can’t drive, so all woman are bad drivers.”

Appeals to Ignorance

  • “You can’t prove that you are innocent, therefore you are guilty to me.”

  • “I didn’t see you studying today, so you must not have been productive today.”

  • “ I haven’t seen him make a single goal in the game, so he must be a bad soccer player.

Bandwagon Appeal

  • “Everyone was speeding, so I shouldn’t get a ticket.”

  • “The lection was rigged. A lot of people are saying so.”

  • “If all of your friends jumped off a cliff, would you do it, too?”

Authority Fallacy

Since it is THE ROCK, then people will buy.

Ad Hominem

  • “That can’t be true because you are an IDIOT!”

Slippery Slope

  • "If we allow the government to access our data for national security, soon they'll be spying on our conversations and activities."

  • “If you fail this class, you won’t graduate from school.”

False/Faulty Causality

  • “My child was diagnosed with autism after being vaccinated. Therefore vaccines cause autism.”

Weak Analogy

  • “Plants are green and that’s why they can photosynthesize. If you paint yourself green you will get more energy from the sun.”

  • “All trees have barks. Every dog barks. Therefore, every dog is a tree.”

Appeals to Pity/ Overly Emotional Appeals

  • “I should get the job because I’ve been unemployed for a year and my family is struggling.”

  • “Put me in the game, Coach. I never get to play.”

  • “Lend me $20: you know I’ve had a rough month.”

Straw Man Argument

  • Ayleen stating “If you hate me just  say that” after every argument even though it has nothing to do with the discussion

  • Jose saying “Get a job” after every argument even though it has nothing to do with anything

  • Me saying “English is not my first language” after every inconvenience. 

Non-Sequitur Fallacy

  • 1- All trees are tall. 2-All trees are yellow. 3-Therefore, all trees are green.

  • “I read about a snake attack in the news. My friend has a pet snake. My life must be in danger.”

  • When a  politician outlines their plan for education reform. Suddenly, they mention a recent vacation they took.

  • WHEN IT IS OUT OF POCKET