Courtroom
Mr. Anderson, did you kill your neighbor because you hated him or because you were greedy?
Complex question
Are you still wasting time with all that book-learning at the university?
Complex question
The Democrats want to raise tax rates on the rich and lower them on the middle class. This is part of their plan to move the country into socialism.
Straw man
My doctor told me to lose weight and give up smoking. But she’s an overweight smoker herself, so I can safely ignore her advice.
Ad hominem
Of course Jane is going to be successful. Everyone says so.
Appeal to crowd
The lawyer for the defense claims that there’s doubt that Smith committed the crime. But, I ask, are you going to let this horrible crime go unpunished because of this? Look at the crime; see how horrible it was! So you see clearly that the crime was horrible and that Smith should be convicted.
Miracles are impossible because they simply can’t happen.
Circular
Of course the governor lost her temper and got emotional when she learned that some top officials in the state were taking graft—she’s a woman, isn’t she?
False Stereotype
I never had problems with headaches before I studied logic. So studying logic must be the cause of my headaches.
Post-hoc
Behind they have two legs and in front they have fore legs. This makes six legs. — adapted from J. Cohen, in R. A. Baker (Ed.) A Stress Analysis of a Strapless Evening Gown, 1967
Ambiguous
People of the jury, you must find this heinous woman guilty of murdering her employer, Mr. Graves. Ms. Pollock was seen exiting the scene of the crime minutes after it occurred, looking disheveled and suspicious.
Ad hominem and post-hoc
Each of these dozen cookies by itself isn’t harmful; one little one won’t hurt! Hence having these dozen cookies isn’t harmful.
Part-whole
Those horrible city folk vote Democratic; so we country folk should vote Republican.
Opposition
It hasn’t been proved that cigarettes are dangerous, so it’s only reasonable to conclude that they aren’t dangerous.
Appeal to ignorance
“Hank is a really sharp dresser.”
“What about the purple plaid pants he wore last night?”
“I don’t want to think about that.”
Pro-con
Despite reporters’ incriminating testimony to the grand jury, the president maintains that his chief-of-staff is not guilty of any wrongdoing. The president dismisses the charges, saying that he has known the man and has been his friend for more than 30 years.
Beside the Point and Appeal to Emotion
People who read Fortune magazine make a lot of money. So if I subscribe to Fortune, then I too will make a lot of money.
Post-hoc
American military experts testified in the first decade of the 21st century that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction; so this must be true.
Appeal to authority
In spite of warnings from doctors, my girlfriend refused the treatment. She said that she didn’t have to worry about man-eating bacteria.
Ambiguous
Feminists deny all difference between male and female. But this is absurd, as anyone with eyes can see.
Straw man or false stereotype
Although the evidence is overwhelming that Mr. J. has skimmed almost a million dollars from public funds entrusted to him for the city’s regatta, he shouldn’t be convicted of that crime because he is over 70 years old and has just completed a series of treatments for pancreatic cancer.
Beside the Point and Appeal to Emotion (Pity)
In college, you can either be a serious student or establish beneficial social contacts. In later life, however, who you know is more important than what you know, so you would be well advised to let your studies slide in favor of an active social life.
Black and White
The most effective way to increase government revenues would be to raise the corporate income tax, since opinion polls show widespread support for this approach.
Appeal to crowd
Vaccinating children against measles is a leading cause of autism. I know this is so because most of the children in my son’s school program for autistic children were vaccinated.
Post-Hoc
I think you will find that this merger is the best idea for our company, especially because disagreement may indicate that this company is not the right place for you.
Appeal to force