Character & Emotion Attacks
Insulting someone or attacking their personal character rather than addressing their actual argument.
What is Ad Hominem?
Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it look extreme, ridiculous, or easy to refute.
What is Straw Man?
Assuming that because one event happened after another, the first event caused the second.
What is Faulty Causality?
An oversimplification that falsely claims only two options exist when taking a position.
What is an Either-Or Argument?
"She supports killing babies because she's a lazy, murderous liberal" is an example of this fallacy.
What is Ad Hominem?
Playing on listeners' feelings to distract them from facts, such as showing photos of starving children.
What is Appeal to Emotion (or Sentimental Appeal)?
Using a diversionary tactic or bringing up an unrelated issue to avoid discussing key points.
What is Red Herring?
Asserting that a initial event will lead to a disastrous chain reaction without offering logical evidence.
What is Slippery Slope?
Reaching a broad conclusion based on insufficient or qualifying evidence.
What is a Hasty Generalization?
"If you were a true American, you would fly the flag all year round from your front porch" uses this appeal.
What is Bandwagon Appeal?
Exaggerating possible dangers well beyond their statistical likelihood to sway people through fear.
What is Scare Tactic?
Claiming that everyone should hold an opinion or behave a certain way just because it is popular.
What is Bandwagon Appeal?
Wearing striped socks during a winning sports game and assuming they guarantee future wins is an example of this reasoning flaw.
What is Faulty Causality?
Comparing two items that seem similar on the surface but differ in the most important aspects of the argument.
What is False Analogy?
"Trees pollute the air as much as cars and trucks do by releasing pollen every spring" represents this bad comparison.
What is False Analogy?
Presenting a famous celebrity who lacks proper medical credentials to endorse an extreme diet uses this fallacy.
What is Appeal to False Authority?
Stating "People who don't support raising minimum wage to $15 an hour hate the poor" is an example of this distortion fallacy.
What is Straw Man?
Claiming that banning one specific type of firearm will inevitably lead to a total government ban on all firearms.
What is Slippery Slope?
Claiming "We can either start recycling more or destroy the earth" is an example of this flaw.
What is an Either-Or Argument?
Trusting a billionaire CEO's opinion about stock values solely because of their status without other supporting evidence.
What is Appeal to Authority?
Relying on logical fallacies harms this core element of a writer's or speaker's credibility and authority.
What is Ethos?
Asking "If we ban coal, how will coal miners feed their families?" during an environmental policy debate commits this error.
What is Red Herring?
A circular argument that assumes a point is already true without providing logical proof to support it.
What is Begging the Question?
Deciding an entire semester course will be boring based only on the first day of class commits this mistake.
What is a Hasty Generalization?
"Without this additional insurance, you could find yourself broke and homeless" is an example of this scare technique.
What is Scare Tactic?