Logical Fallacies

Errors In Reasoning That Will Undermine Your Argument

Learning to recognize them is your best defense

Red Herring

This fallacy introduces an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the original issue.

"We shouldn't focus on the fact that the politician lied about their tax returns; what about the important work they've done for the community?"

Ad Hominem

This fallacy is one that attempts to invalidate an opponent’s position based on a personal trait or fact about the opponent rather than through logic.

"Katherine is a bad choice for mayor because she didn’t grow up in this town."

Appeal To Authority

This fallacy claims an authority figure’s expertise to support a claim despite this expertise being irrelevant or overstated.

"If you want to be healthy, you need to stop drinking coffee. I read it on a fitness blog."

Appeal to Popular Belief (Bandwagon Fallacy)

This fallacy is one that claims that something is true because it is popular.

"Of course it’s fine to wait until the last minute to write your paper. Everybody does it!"

Appeal to Probability (Murphy's Law)

This fallacy assumes that if something could happen that it will inevitably happen.

"The universe has a billions of galaxies with billions of stars so there must be another planet with intelligent life."

Appeal to Tradition

This fallacy claims something is true because it has always been that way.

"Lying to children about Santa is not betrayal because it has always been a part of the magic of Christmas."

Straw Man

A straw man fallacy is refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion, while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man".

Person A: "We need better safety measures to protect pedestrians."
Person B: "Person A thinks all cars should be banned."

Appeal to Hypocrisy

This fallacy occurs when someone dismisses an argument by pointing out that the person making the argument is also guilty of the same thing.

"How can you say I shouldn't smoke when you smoke?"

Appeal To Ignorance (Burden Of Proof)

This fallacy occurs when someone argues that a claim is true because it hasn't been proven false, or vice versa.

"There is no evidence that they don't exist, so they must exist."

Appeal To Incredulity

This fallacy asserts that a proposition must be false because it contradicts one's personal expectations or beliefs, or is difficult to imagine.

"The universe it too complex to exist without an intelligent creator."

Appeal to Money

This fallacy supposes that if someone is rich or something is expensive then it affects the truth of the claim.

"If it costs more it must be better."

Appeal to Novelty

This fallacy supposes that something is better because it is new or newer.

"The latest version will definitely be faster, better, and more secure."

Sunk Cost Fallacy

This fallacy involves continuing an endeavor or endeavoring to recoup one's losses because of the time, money, or effort already invested.

"I've spent so much time on this project, I can't give up now."

False Dilemma

This fallacy claims there are only two options in a given situation. Often, these two options are extreme opposites of each other, failing to acknowledge that other, more reasonable, options exist.

"If you don’t support my decision, you were never really friend."

Appeal To Pity

This fallacy attempts to sway a reader’s or listener’s opinion by provoking them emotionally.

"I know I should have been on time for the interview, but I woke up late and felt really bad about it, then the stress of being late made it hard to concentrate on driving here."

Appeal To Ridicule

This is a fallacy that makes an opponent's argument appear absurd, ridiculous, or humorous, thus dismissing it without addressing its substance.

"Faith in God is like believing in Santa Claaus and the Tooth Fairy."

Appeal To Spite

An appeal to spite is a logical fallacy where someone introduces a spiteful argument to refute a claim or course of action instead of addressing the issue directly.

"You might think Bonnie is a good candidate for the job, but doesn't it bother you that she never says hello when she passes you in the hallway?"

Appeal To consequences of a belief

Arguing that a belief is false because it implies something you would rather not believe.

"My mom can't be on that sex tape because she would be lying about her past and she is not the kind of person who would lie to her family."

Appeal To Fear

This fallacy uses scare tactics that increases fear and prejudice towards the opposing side.

"Before you know there will be more mosques than churches."

Begging The Claim (Circular Reasoning)

This fallacy occurs when the conclusion of an argument is assumed in the premises.

"We should ban smoking because it's bad for you, and everyone knows smoking is bad for you."

Appeal to flattery

Using an irrelevant compliment to slip in an unfounded claim which is accepted along with the compliment.

"Intelligent and sophisticated readers will of course recognize a fallacy like this when they read one."

Appeal to nature

The appeal to nature fallacy is a common logical fallacy where something is assumed to be good simply because it is natural or bad solely because it is unnatural.

"The problem with today’s children is social media. Children should play outside instead of looking at a screen. It’s the way humans have always experienced childhood, surrounded by nature."

Appeal to Wishful thinking

Appeal to wishful thinking is a logical fallacy where someone makes a conclusion based on what they want to happen rather than on evidence or reality.

"The Leafs will win the cup again before I die."

Slippery Slope

This fallacy assumes that one event will inevitably lead to another without providing sufficient evidence for such a conclusion.

"If we allow students to use calculators in exams, next they'll want to use computers, and then they'll want to use the internet, and before you know it, they won't know how to do any math at all!"

Hasty Generalization

This fallacy involves making a broad generalization based on a small sample size.

"I met one rude person from that city, so everyone from that city must be rude."

Jumping to conclusions

This fallacy involves drawing a quick assumptions without sufficient information or without fairly considering relevant evidence.

"She wants free birth control. What a slut."

Genetic Fallacy

This fallacy judges something as good or bad based on its origin rather than its current meaning or context.

"That car is bad because it was originally designed by Hitler's army."

Middle Ground Fallacy

The middle ground fallacy, also known as the false compromise, occurs when someone assumes that a compromise between two opposing positions must be correct or the best solution, without considering the evidence or logic behind each argument.

"If the left want to ban all guns and the right want no regulation at all then the best solution would be to impose background checks and wait times for all gun purchases."

Equivocation

This fallacy is a statement crafted to mislead or confuse readers or listeners by using multiple meanings or interpretations of a word or simply through unclear phrasing.

"While I have a clear plan for the campus budget that accounts for every dollar spent, my opponent simply wants to throw money at special interest projects."

Causal Fallacy

This fallacy is one that implies a relationship between two things where one can’t actually be proven.

"When ice cream sales are up, so are shark attacks. Therefore, buying ice cream increases your risk of being bitten by a shark."

Loaded Question

This fallacy is where a question contains an assumption, making it difficult to provide a direct answer without appearing to agree with the assumption. This fallacy is commonly used in arguments to make the opponent appear guilty, uninformed, or biased.

"Are you still kicking your dog?"

No True Scotsman

This fallacy attempts to make a generalization true by changing the generalization to exclude a counterexample.

Person A: "No Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge."
Person B: "But my uncle Angus is a Scotsman and he puts sugar on his porridge."
Person A: "But no true Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge."