 Appeal to Ignorance - An appeal to
ignorance occurs when one person
uses another person’s lack of
knowledge on a particular subject as
evidence that their own argument is
correct.
For example: “You can’t prove that there
aren’t Martians living in caves under the
surface of Mars, so it is reasonable for
me to believe there are.”
 Appeal to Authority - This type of
fallacy is also referred to as
Argumentum ad Verecundia
(argument from modesty). In this
case, rather than focusing on the
merits of an argument, the arguer
will try to attach their argument to a
person of authority in an attempt to
give credence to their argument.
For example: “Well, Isaac Newton
believed in Alchemy, do you think you
know more than Isaac Newton?”
 Appeal to Popular Opinion - This type
of appeal is when someone claims
that an idea or belief is true simply
because it is what most people
believe.
For example: “Lots of people bought this
album, so it must be good.”
 Association Fallacy - Sometimes
called "guilt by association," this
occurs when someone links a specific
idea or practice with something or
someone negative in order to infer
guilt on another person.
For example: “Hitler was a vegetarian,
therefore, I don’t trust vegetarians.”
 Attacking the Person - Also known as
Argumentum ad Hominem (argument
against the man), this is quite a
common occurrence in debates and
refers to a person who substitutes a
rebuttal with a personal insult.
For example: “Don’t listen to Eddie’s
arguments on education, he’s an idiot.”
 Begging the Question - This type of
fallacy is when the conclusion of an
argument is assumed in the phrasing
of the question itself.
For example: “If aliens didn’t steal my
newspaper, who did?” (assume that the
newspaper was actually stolen).
 False Dilemma/Dichotomy -
Sometimes referred to as Bifurcation,
this type of fallacy occurs when
someone presents their argument in
such a way that there are only two
possible options.
For example: “If you don’t vote for this
candidate, you must be a Communist.”
 Non Sequitur - A fallacy wherein
someone asserts a conclusion that
does not follow from the
propositions.
For example: “All Dubliners are from
Ireland. Ronan is not a Dubliner,
therefore, he is not Irish.”
 Slippery Slope - Assuming that a very small
action will inevitably lead to extreme and
often ludicrous outcomes.
For example: “If we allow gay people to get
married, what’s next? Allowing people to
marry their dogs?”