Identifying Logical Fallacies
Senator Jones' bill on gun control should not be taken
seriously; after all, this is the same man who has had at
least five extramarital affairs.
The Volkswagen Beetle is an evil car because it was
originally designed by Hitler's army.
Tourism in this city started to decline right after Mayor
Scott was elected. To save our tourist industry, let's
replace her now!
People who want to be healthy should eat turnips. My
Aunt Alice loved turnips, and she lived to be ninety-
four.
The case is clear: either we support the death penalty
or we allow crime to run rampant.
All people who live in cities are unfriendly.
Of course our students are physically fit; just look at the
success of our sports teams this year.
If we ban Hummers because they are bad for the
environment eventually the government will ban all
cars, so we should not ban Hummers
Mary loves good food; therefore, she will be an
excellent chef.
It is pointless to worry about too much violence on
television when thousands are killed by drunk drivers
every day.
Of course UFOs are real. Nobody can prove otherwise.
Jefferson City has kept its urban growth boundary at 6
miles for the past 30 years. That has been good enough
for thirty years, so why should we change it now?
ColaRite is the most popular soft drink in the country.
Buy some and join the fun!
If you were a true American you would support the
rights of people to choose whatever vehicle they want.
She should not have to pay taxes because she is an
aged widow with no friends or relatives.
Pay back the loan and 10% daily interest by Thursday,
or be sure that you have your hospital insurance paid
up
The minister is such a good person because she is so
virtuous.
FAULTY CAUSE & EFFECT (POST HOC) is the result of assuming that
because B follows A, so A must be the cause of B.
HASTY GENERALIZATIONS are based on atypical, inaccurate or
unrepresentative evidence.
NON-SEQUITUR (“it does not follow): links two or more ideas that have
no logical connections; the conclusion does not follow from the
premises set out in the argument, or is based on irrelevant data.
APPEAL TO FEAR OR PITY – substituting emotions for reason.
AD HOMINEM ARGUMENTS attack the opponent rather than his or her
argument. (Ad hominem literally means "against the person.")
AD POPULUM uses illegitimate emotional appeal, prejudices, &
stereotypes (positive = patriotism, religion, democracy or negative =
terrorism). The emotions evoked are not supported by sufficient,
reliable & trustworthy sources.
CIRCULAR REASONING occurs when the argument merely restates the
conclusion it was meant to support.
GENETIC FALLACY (FALLACY OF OPPOSITION) – the evidence itself is
suspect because of its origin: a conclusion is based on an argument
that the origins of a person, idea or theory determine its character,
nature, or worth
ARGUMENTUM AD BACCULUM refers to appeal to force
REDUCTIVE REASONING reduces a complex effect to a single cause.
SLIPPERY SLOPE is a conclusion based on the premise that if A
happens, then eventually through a series of small steps Z will happen,
too, basically equating A and Z. So, if we don't want Z to occur, A must
not be allowed to occur either.
AD IGNORANTUM means "argument from ignorance”… something
might be real simply because there is no evidence to the contrary.
RED HERRING is a diversionary tactic that avoids the key issues, often
by introducing irrelevant issues…. Directs attention away from the
debatable point to one that most people will quickly agree with.
FALSE DILEMMA (either/or) ARGUMENTS assume that only two
alternatives exist when in fact there are more.
BAND WAGON APPEALS suggest that readers should accept something
because it is popular; i.e. everyone else has "hopped on the
bandwagon” and that the readers should not be left out.
SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS make insupportable, absolute
statements involving words like all, always, never, no one. Some are
stereotypes.
ARGUMENTUM AD TRADITIO – is an appeal to tradition that asserts
that a premise must be true because people have always believed it or
successfully done it.