Every time I go to sleep, the sun goes down. Therefore, my going to sleep causes the sun to set.
Confusing cause and effect.
100
I hope I presented my argument clearly. Now, my opponent will attempt to refute my argument by his own fallacious, incoherent, illogical version of history.
Poisoning the well.
100
I have flipped heads five times in a row. As a result, the next flip will probably be tails.
Gambler's fallacy.
100
If I have cable, then I have seen a naked lady. I don’t have cable. Therefore, I have never seen a naked lady.
Denying the antecedent.
100
Tim: Boss, you heard my side of the story why I think Bill should be fired and not me. Now, I am sure Bill is going to come to you with some pathetic attempt to weasel out of this lie that he has created.
Poisoning the well.
200
What’s north of the North Pole?
What happened before time?
Meaningless question.
200
Eric: For my lottery numbers, I chose 6, 14, 22, 35, 38, 40. What did you choose?
Steve: I chose 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Eric: You idiot! Those numbers will never come up!
Gambler's fallacy.
200
Timmy: Mom, what if I don’t believe in God?
Mom: Then you burn in Hell forever. Why do you ask?
Timmy: No reason.
Appeal to fear.
200
All hotdogs are fast food. No hamburgers are hotdogs. Therefore, no hamburgers are fast food.
Illicit major.
200
You should certainly be the one who washes the dishes -- you are just so good at it!
Appeal to flattery.
300
Based on a survey of 1000 American homeowners, 99% of those surveyed have two or more automobiles worth on average $100,000 each. Therefore, Americans are very wealthy.
Biased sample.
300
If we don’t bail out the big automakers, the US economy will collapse. Therefore, we need to bail out the automakers.
Appeal to fear.
300
One day Bill wakes up with a fever. A few hours later he finds red spots on his skin. he concludes that the fever must have caused the red spots. His friend insists that the spots and the fever are caused by some microbe. Bill laughs at this and insists that if he spends the day in a tub of cold water his spots will go away.
Ignoring a common cause.
300
How many angels can you fit on a head of a pin?
Meaningless question.
300
Billy: How could the universe be 6000 years old when we know the speed of light, the distance of astronomical objects (13+ billion light years away), and the fact that the light has reached us[1]?
Marty: 6000 years is not a firm number. The universe can be as old as about 10,000 years.
Billy: How do you figure that?...
Red herring.
400
In Detroit, there is a 10-year-old living on the street selling drugs to stay alive. In Los Angeles, a 19-year-old prostitute works the streets. America’s youth is certainly in serious trouble.
Misleading vividness.
400
If it barks, it is a dog.
It doesn’t bark.
Therefore, it’s not a dog.
Denying the antecedent.
400
All Jim Carrey movies are hilarious.
No horror movies are Jim Carrey movies.
Therefore, no horror movies are hilarious.
Illicit major.
400
Salesguy: You should definitely buy this car. You look so good in it -- you look at least ten years younger behind that wheel.
Tamera: I’ll take it!
Appeal to flattery.
400
Nature gives people diseases and sickness; therefore, it is morally wrong to interfere with nature and treat sick people with medicine.
Naturalistic fallacy.
500
Dave: For five generations, the men in our family went to Stanford and became doctors, while the women got married and raised children. Therefore, it is my duty to become a doctor.
Kaitlin: Do you want to become a doctor?
Dave: It doesn’t matter -- it is our family tradition. Who am I to break it?
Appeal to tradition.
500
Most people who are read the last rites die shortly afterwards. Therefore, priests are going around killing people with magic words!
Post hoc.
500
Pastor Pete: People are turning to God everywhere! 9 out of 10 people I interviewed said that they had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Fred: Where did you find these people you interviewed?
Pastor Pete: In my church.
Biased sample.
500
Marriage has traditionally been between a man and a woman; therefore, gay marriage should not be allowed.
Appeal to tradition.
500
Mike: It is morally wrong to cheat on your spouse, why on earth would you have done that?
Ken: But what is morality exactly?
Mike: It’s a code of conduct shared by cultures.
Ken: But who creates this code?...