Logical Fallacies

Either-Or: This fallacy occurs when only two extreme options are presented as the only possible outcomes, ignoring other viable alternatives.

Example: "If you're not with us, you're against us."

Hasty generalization: A conclusion is drawn based on insufficient or biased evidence, often using a small or unrepresentative sample.

Example: "My friend got a speeding ticket in that town, so the police there must be corrupt."

Appealing to ignorance: This fallacy asserts that a claim is true because it hasn’t been proven false, or vice versa.

Example: "No one has proven aliens don’t exist, so they must exist."

Bandwagon: This fallacy argues something is true or right because it’s popular or widely believed.

Example: "Everyone else is buying this phone, so it must be the best one."

False Authority: Occurs when someone without expertise on a topic is presented as an authority figure.

Example: "A famous actor recommends this medicine, so it must work."

Ad Hominem: This fallacy attacks the person making the argument rather than addressing the argument itself.

Example: "You can't trust his opinion on politics; he didn’t even finish college."

Slippery Slope: This fallacy assumes that one small action will inevitably lead to extreme and undesirable outcomes, without evidence for such a chain of events.

Example: "If we allow students to use calculators, soon they won’t be able to do basic math without them."

False/Faulty Causality: Assumes that because one event followed another, the first caused the second.

Example: "The rooster crowed, and then the sun rose. The rooster must cause the sun to rise."

Red Herring: This fallacy introduces an irrelevant topic to distract from the original issue.

Example: "Why worry about climate change when we have homelessness to deal with?"

Appeals to Pity: Attempts to manipulate an audience's emotions to win an argument rather than using valid reasoning.

Example: "You can’t fire me; I have a family to support!"

Straw Man: Misrepresents or oversimplifies someone’s argument to make it easier to attack.

Example: "You want stricter gun control? So, you’re saying no one should be allowed to own a gun at all?"

Non-Sequitur: A conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or premise.

Example: "She’s wearing expensive clothes, so she must be a great student."

Scare Tactics: Uses fear to influence an audience’s reaction, rather than using logic or evidence.

Example: "If you don’t buy this insurance, your family will be left with nothing if you die unexpectedly."