Fallacies of Distraction Definitions
This fallacy assumes that a long standing belief must be true because it is ancient and traditional.
What is chronological snobbery?
This fallacy occurs when an argument contains an internal contradiction.
What is a self-refutation?
This fallacy occurs when a debator presents his opponent with two options even though more than two options exist.
What is a False Dichotomy?
What is an Appeal to Majority?
"Never let anyone tell you what or how to think!"
What is a Self-Refutation?
This argument assumes a position is wrong because the speaker has a bias or other improper motives for it truthfulness
What is a genetic fallacy?
This fallacy occurs when a debator misrepresents his opponent's argument.
What is a strawman?
This fallacy occurs when a chain of events is presented as inevitable when it is not.
What is a Slippery Slope?
"Coffee is not a healthy breakfast drink. My dad does Crossfit and he says its completely junk."
What is an Appeal to Authority?
"Every student who took AP Lang their junior year graduated high school. This means students who don't take it are likely to flunk out."
What is a False Cause?
This fallacy is committed when a debator subtly changes the subject.
What is a red herring?
This fallacy occurs when a prior event is assumed to cause a following event.
This fallacy occurs when a question is asked that assumes the truthfulness the questioner's position, making almost impossible to answer.
What is a Loaded Question?
"It's 2026 and you still you believe that?"
What is Chronological Snobbery?
What is a Hasty Generalization?
This fallacy either appeals to the speaker's hypocrisy or assumes that a position is true because the opposition is wrong.
What is a tu quoque?
This fallacy occurs when a conclusion is assumed true in a premise (AKA Begging the question)
What is Circular Reasoning?
This fallacy occurs when a generalization is made from insufficient evidence.
"You want our country to adopt that idea? You realize it was first proposed by communist countries, right?"
What is the Genetic Fallacy?
If you ever see a mountain lion, try and catch it and take it home. It's a cat after all, and its common knowledge that cats make great pets!
What is Equivocation?
This fallacy is committed when an argument is based on a lack evidence against it.
What is an argument from silence?
This fallacy occurs when a word is used with different meanings throughout an argument.
What is Equivocation?
This fallacy is commited when a debater makes an arbitrary exception.
What is Special Pleading?
"Hey Jane, don't listen to your teacher. He finished dead last in his class at a tiny university and the other teachers are creeped out by him."
What is an ad hominem?
John: "AP Lang is too hard. It's unreasonable to assume any student can get an A in that class."
Jane: "Tom and Tim both got A's last year."
John: "But they went to a fancy private school before they moved here! No one who didn't go to a fancy private school could never pass that class."
What is Special Pleading?