DEBATE SCRIPT: NEGATIVE TEAM (“Ignorance is a bliss”)

INTRODUCTION

1. Good morning/afternoon/evening Sir Rainier and fellow students.

2. The topic for our debate is “Is ignorance a bliss or does it give no peace?”

3. We agree with the definition given by the affirmative team.

OR

3. We disagree with the definition given by the opposition. (If you disagree explain why the opposition’s
definition is wrong.)

4. However we, the negative team, believe that this statement is false.

Team split

1. Today as first speaker I will be talking to you about (Insert the general heading/s of the points you

will be talking about.)

2. Our second speaker will be talking about (Insert the headings of the points your second speaker

will be talking about.)

3. Our third speaker will rebut the affirmative case and sum up our team case.

Rebuttal

1. The first speaker from the affirmative team has tried to tell you (During the debate, you would

have listed the main arguments outlined by the first speaker for the affirmative side. Insert them

here.)

2. This is wrong because (During the debate, write a reason why that point is wrong. Insert it here.)

3. S/he also said that (Insert another point for your rebuttal.)

4. This is wrong because (Insert a reason why that point is wrong.)

Arguments

1. I am going to discuss (Insert the number of points. There are usually 2 or 3 points) points. My first

point is (Insert your first point/ argument.)

2. This is because/the reason for this is (Explain the reason that supports your point/argument.)

3. Now to my second point. (Insert your second point.)

4. This is because (Explain the reason that supports your second point/argument.)

5. My third and final point is (If you have another point insert it here. You can have as many as you

like, within the time limit.)

Ending

So in conclusion …

(Finish your debate speech with a sentence that sums up what your team believes. You can use humour

or a quote or you may say ‘thank you’ to finish.)

NEGATIVE MAIN POINTS (“Ignorance is a bliss”)

1. What you don't know doesn't hurt you”. The more you know, the more you find things worry about,
and worrying is more likely to hurt than a bullet or a rocket. People who know too much tend to
overthink as well.

2. What they don’t know won’t hurt them is morally right or wrong? Morality is define by the individual
which means there is no right or wrong answer because it is subjective. But if you want to take the
look at the actual definition of right then it is define as correct and fair. When you don’t tell
someone the truth, you’re stealing their right to know the truth thus is wrong. That’s because it isn’t
fair for you to not tell someone what they should know. But just because something is wrong, that
doesn’t mean that it can’t be good. Good, by definition, is about being beneficial. If not telling the
truth can save a person from a lot of pain, that can be consider as good. But if not telling the truth
can cause a lot of pain later on, then it is consider to be bad. This is the gray area that we have to
deal with.\

3. It’s good to be aware of what's happening in the world but I don't need to know every bad thing that
happened over and over again by watching the news. The things they told me, made me feel
stressed, mad angry, or very sad. To top it off there was no benefit to me knowing it. There is more
good in this world then bad, I had to stop listening to them to see it. The important things will get to
you without listening to the news. The other thing is what people think about us, if it is good we'd
become vain, if it's bad we'd become bitter not knowing can't hurt us.

4. It is not always good to know! What if I tell you that the food you eat, No matter what the source
from which it has reached your table is infected with one or other kind of fecal bacterias. You
 probably know about it but that does not affect your decision to eat the food or not even if I point it
out to you every time you are about to eat the food. Why? Because you tend to be ignorant of the
truth for your own peace of mind and is necessary for your biological survival. Similarly, The life
which we live is in essence a life of ignorance because in the end it does not matter what a person
do, The person would eventually die and all of the deed executed by the person would not matter
atleast in respect of the person who died. Yet it does not stop anyone from going about their
business as it is important that we do even if we know that in the end it is not going to matter for us.
Why? Because again you tend to be in oblivion of these facts and continue with your life and these
assumption are essential for life as we know. There are various other things about which we may
know but still remain oblivion to those as these oblivious behaviors is necessary for life as we know
it. Thus to say that it is always better to know and take that knowledge into cognizance while taking
a decision and doing what should be reasonable in that place to do would be the end of life as we
know it. Thus it is not always good to know.

5. Perhaps in some cases it is better not to know something, if there is nothing to be gained (or
lost) by knowing (or not knowing) that thing. Unless one holds that all knowledge is intrinsically
valuable and that there is always something to be gained by knowing something, then there may
be cases in which one doesn’t lose anything by not knowing something. Indeed, there may be
cases in which one loses something merely by attempting to know about something, if that thing is
useless, pointless, and of no value to know about. There may be cases in which it is better not to
know about something that is irrelevant to one’s particular field of (moral, scientific, professional,
social, or intellectual) inquiry, if that thing is potentially distracting or misleading (fake news).

6. It may also be better in some cases not to know about something, if knowing about it will lead
one to expend unnecessary efforts or submit to unnecessary interventions that will ultimately be
detrimental or of no benefit. Thus, for example, submitting to medical tests in order to diagnose
whether one has cancer may in some cases be needlessly burdensome and medically
unnecessary, if knowing that one has cancer and having it treated will not produce any benefit with
regard to one's life expectancy or quality of life. (there can also be false positives that can destroy
your life because you live thinking your life is limited)

7. It may be better in some cases not to know about something, if knowing about that thing will be
harmful or detrimental to the knower. In East Asian cultures, if a doctor determines that a patient is
terminally ill, they actually won't tell the truth to the patient of of fear that the truth will lead them into
an even earlier death.

8. Unless a person has a moral right to know about something, regardless of the fact that such
knowledge may be harmful to that person, or unless a person has a moral responsibility to know
about something, or unless the well-being of others depends on a person’s knowing about
something, then there may be cases in which it may be better for that person not to know about
that thing. If only harm, and no good, can come from a person’s knowing about something, then it
 may be better for that person not to know about that thing (although there may be a serious
question as to who has the moral right to decide what knowledge about a given thing will be
harmful, and to whom such knowledge will be harmful).

9. Who has the moral right to decide for another person that it is better for him or her (or that it is
in his or her best interest) not to know something? Must this right (if there is such a right) be
reserved solely for a parent, family member, or legal guardian? How about a friend or advisor? An
attorney? An elected public official? Does a government ever have a right to decide that it is better
for a society not to know about something?

10. Whoever decides that it is better for someone not to know about something may be exercising
a form of censorship or paternalism with regard to knowledge about that thing. Judgments may
therefore need to be made about whether such censorship or paternalism is justified or unjustified,
necessary or unnecessary (and in what context it may be justified or unjustified, necessary or
unnecessary).

11. There may be cases in which it is better not to know something, if one is emotionally or
psychologically unprepared to deal with the possible consequences of knowing that thing.
Discovery of unknown or unsuspected facts, occurrences, or events may in some cases have
unanticipated consequences for the emotional and psychological well-being of the discoverer.

12. It may perhaps be better not to know something, if such knowledge will cause an unnecessary
and unwarranted change in the attitudes and behavior of the knower. If knowing about something
will have a significant adverse effect on the attitudes and behavior of the knower, even though the
thing is actually of little significance, then knowing about it may be detrimental to the well-being of
the knower (as well as to the well-being of those in his/her family, social group, or community).

13. There may be cases in which it is better not to have known something than to have known it
and have acted without proper attention to, and regard for, its significance. It may perhaps be
better not to know about something, if one will be held morally or legally culpable for knowing about
it. At the same time, however, one’s moral or legal culpability (or lack of it) for knowing about
something may depend on whether one has wrongfully gained that knowledge or whether one has
wrongfully acted or failed to act upon that knowledge (even if one has not wrongfully gained that
knowledge). Similarly, one's culpability for not knowing about something, if one has been expected
by others to have known about it, may depend on whether one has wrongfully failed to know about
it or whether one has merely innocently failed to know about it through no fault of one’s own.

14. It may be better not to know something, if knowing that thing will lead one to have false hopes,
expectations, or preconceptions about that thing. Knowing something may in some cases lead to
frustration, disappointment, or denial if one’s hopes, expectations, or preconceptions about that
thing are not fulfilled.
15. It may perhaps also be better not to know about something, if one knows that one does not
know, and that unknown thing (entity, fact, event, etc.) turns out to be relatively unimportant, but
investigating it leads to the discovery of other things (entities, facts, events, etc.) that are much
more important and that one would not have discovered, had one not known that one did not know
about that thing. Another way of saying this is: it may be better not to know about something, if
knowing that one doesn't know produces much greater knowledge than would otherwise have been
attained.

16. Knowing less, can make you more happier

 Some have very minimum schooling and knew absolutely nothing about the world. They
were very ignorant and oblivious about everything that makes life function. But yet they still
have fruitful and enjoying life to its fullest
 Knowledge leads to more ignorance. Aristotle famously wrote, "The more you know, the
more you realize you don't know. The more you know the more you realize that you don't
know much and more you are unhappy about it.
 People who have basic cultures, illiterate and having very few resources (ex: African
countries) are still happy, fulfilled in their lives and sing songs all year round, without even
knowing much about the world beyond their livelihood.

17. Childhood does have a kind of bliss, indeed. Children do not have the kinds of burdens that adults
have—the burdens that come with responsibility and with awareness of the complexities of life. As
adults, we have a kind of primal longing to return to that idealized state, a state in which we felt that
someone unconditionally met our every need. They are not faulted for their ignorance.

18. Yes, grown-up knowledge brings misery—if by misery, you mean awareness of misery. Whatever
idealizations we had about the world are sullied by the facts of life. This is a necessary part of
growing up but does not necessarily lead to misery. As the veil of idealization falls away and the
realities of life are more evident, we see miseries we never saw before but we also see many joys.

SourceL https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/headshrinkers-guide-the-galaxy/201108/is-
ignorance-bliss?
fbclid=IwAR1aD2Hp_rNzn41TBdewcBlJ4nE5EJKgcKNu_PB7MhoIZEB_Kgg8cdoW29Y

19. Stupidity is not ignorance. These are very different things. All children, by definition, are ignorant.
Clearly, not all children are stupid: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Isaac Newton, Voltaire, Johann von
Goethe, and Marilyn vos Savant were all children once, too.

20. In a world filled with knowledge, it’s better off not knowing. The fear of missing out. (FOMO)
 It’s an ancient emotion well known by psychologists and marketers alike. In early history, being in
the know was critical to survival. Today, this innate fear has taken a new form with our use of social
media and mobile devices; we’re developing the sense that staying connected is crucial for a
happy, fruitful existence. But recently, many people are shedding their digital lifestyles and
embracing “unknowing.” They’re turning their fear of missing out into joy and finding a level of
solace that many haven’t experienced in years.

Additional studies show that social media accounts for more than 25% of all time spent online, with
more than a third of all online activity taking place on mobile. The average social user has five
accounts and spends just under two hours browsing their networks daily. Over 47% of mobile
users worldwide spend more than five hours on their devices every day.

21. Being ignorant to the world around us may lead to a piece of mind.

For a moment, it sounds logical. But the constant bombardment of digital advertising, the continual
glimpse into the lives of others on social media, and the widespread, instantaneous availability of
almost anything you could want – these are stealing our joy.

It’s no longer just a matter of being informed. We’re constantly comparing our lives to others’ and
finding dissatisfaction in our own worth. Extensive studies have found that younger adults who
were forced to give up Facebook for a job were happier than those who retained their accounts.
Screen time was a huge culprit in unhappiness. Teen happiness experienced a massive plummet
in 2012, around the time most people started owning smartphones. Self harm, mental health
issues, and suicide also increased around the same time.
 Today’s knowledge isn’t just power – it’s control. Being in the know influences your decisions and
reactions. It always has. But we’re at the point where we’re allowing our need to know to make
decisions that ultimately affect our relationships, productivity, and joy, and disconnecting has
proven to be a viable option to recapture our humanity.

Source: https://focusme.com/blog/ignorance-is-bliss-why-people-are-happier-not-being-plugged-in/

22. Suicide rates are highest in teens, young adults, and the elderly. White men over the age of 65
have the highest rate of suicide. Some groups are at greater risk, too, including people who have
lost a spouse, have attempted suicide before or have family members who did, have been abused,
have a substance abuse problem or a painful, disabling, or terminal illness, or work in certain
professions, like police officers. Teens are in the adolescence stage which is characterized are
biological growth and development, an undefined status, increased decision making, increased
pressures, and the search for self.
Source: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/qa/who-is-most-likely-to-commit-suicide

23. In the late 1980s, when he was 12-years old, Martin Pistorius fell into a coma where he remained
in a vegetative state for 12 years. Doctors in South Africa were not sure what caused his illness,
but suspect it was cryptococcal meningitis.His condition grew worse and eventually he lost all
ability to move and speak and make eye contact with his family.
He says he thinks he began to wake up about two years into his coma. He remembers many
things from that time, when everyone around him thought he couldn’t hear them and thought he
didn’t know what was going on. “Everyone was so used to me not being there that they didn’t
notice when I began to be present again,” he told National Public Radio. , Stuck in his body,
without the ability to move or communicate, he felt doomed.
Sadly, Martin also heard his mother tell him, “I hope you die.” Joan Pistorious feels guilty about this
but Martin understands it came from her own desperation and sadness for his bleak existence.

Source: https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/man-awakens-after-12-years-in-coma-says-he-
was-aware-of-everything/523-5e4dfe73-06c4-4d9a-acc1-340efffdde81?fbclid=IwAR0ID-
LHw6y0rQSo1gM1Bn3-R_H0HBQ-ZrE-QHqbhkxB-HacOiQOUdm7Ec4

24. Research shows that ignorance can lead to boost of self-confidence, as they are more positive
they get better self-esteem, while those who are fully aware of their abilities and underestimated,
performed worse (imposter syndrome)

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749597811001312

25. We often struggle to heal the wounds in our lives. These are hurts and bitterness from the past that
continue to haunt us. There could be myriads of reasons for these hurts—you felt left out in the last
promotion, someone you held dear deserted you, you were not treated well while quitting the
 organisation you tried to build, a person you hired and nurtured plotted to oust you from your role.
Someone plagiarised your book and turned it into a movie and did not even give credit. You felt
your boss did not give you your due. You underwent a bad divorce. Though all the events may not
be the same, what they do is leave a residual bitterness (in varying degrees of intensity and
duration).

26. People get into vices to forget, to become ignorant of the bitterness of their lives.

27. Magnitude of expressed happiness influences perceived naiveté and interpersonal exploitation.
Across six studies, we examine how the magnitude of expressed happiness influences social
perception and interpersonal behavior. We find that happiness evokes different judgments when
expressed at high levels than when expressed at moderate levels, and that these judgments
influence opportunistic behavior. Specifically, people perceive very happy individuals to be more
naïve than moderately happy individuals. These perceptions reflect the belief that very happy
individuals shelter themselves from negative information about the world. As a result of these
inferences, very happy people, relative to moderately happy people, are more likely to receive
biased advice from advisors with a conflict of interest and are more likely to be chosen as
negotiation partners when the opportunity for exploitation is salient.

Even when it comes to happiness, too much of a good thing can be bad. For example, Barasch et
al. (2016) showed that people assess very happy individuals to be more naïve than those who
display happiness more moderately, and as more likely to be targeted for exploitation by others.
Once again, it is not the intensity per se that matters, but the inappropriateness of the display.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749597816303144?
fbclid=IwAR14fdM0KqheMEKsqDn2mpT4AmAp0FsSAvOlRMpDgj-maarJAWZ7hMQrNP0

28. Terrible acts are committed every minute of every day. Even our very own lives are laden with
painful memories and awful situations. Thus, without knowledge, where would we be? Those with
more information are almost always on top. Without information and knowledge, you can’t get
ahead in life. Our capacity to understand, store and process knowledge on such a complex level is
what differentiates us from the remainder of the animal kingdom.

Our brains are what make us superior; it’s an evolutionary adaption that we, as a species, have
developed as a means not only to survive, but also to flourish. We are born to think, to learn and to
innovate. Choosing to remain ignorant goes against human nature. (refute!) The only question that
remains is whether or not more knowledge is better.

What we fear is being worse off for having the information than before, when ignorance blinded us
from the truth. Some things we know we will be worse off knowing, like what it means to lose a limb
or a loved one, for example.
 Others, we simply fear that we are going to be worse off knowing . We fear that by knowing, we will
lose something, a loss aversion of sorts, even if what we are losing is the blissfulness that is often
associated with ignorance.

Not knowing information that causes us pain and leaves us worse off is obviously more pleasant
than knowing that information. So, do you remain ignorant of all things that can cause you pain? I
wouldn’t recommend it. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRKwKg0o0BM)

It’s most often what hurts us in life that teaches us the most profound lessons . By remaining
ignorant, you aren’t experiencing all that life has to offer. Sure, it’s not always pretty, but it’s reality.
This is the world you live in, the world you are a part of.

29. But much more interesting and engaging for them had been that magical moment before they had
the knowledge – the wonderful moment of ignorance.

We should cherish this kind of ignorance. It’s not the ignorance that refutes knowledge and
expertise. It’s not prejudice or stupidity. It is simply the absence of knowing that invites and
anticipates the knowledge that is to come.

One of life’s most blissful states is the space, moment or portal that separates ignorance from
knowledge; that distinguishes not knowing from knowing; curiosity from certainty.

Through centuries of scholarship and in a time before Google, it’s always been the moment of
wonder and wondering, of mysteries and solutions and then more mysteries beyond them, that has
been most special in the process of educating. The crossword clue or mathematical equation you
are trying to solve; the country you have not yet visited; the blind date you are waiting for – these
are life’s delightful moments of wondering and not knowing that captivate us and gain our complete
attention. They are our most teachable moments.

Education is about the joy of not knowing, and of what to do about that

30. People with high IQ are considered to have an advantage in many domains. They are predicted to
have higher educational attainment, better jobs, and a higher income level. Yet, it turns out that a
high IQ is also associated with various mental and immunological diseases like depression, bipolar
disorder, anxiety, ADHD as well as allergies, asthma, and immune disorders.

The study authors compared data taken from 3,715 members of the American Mensa Society
(people who have scored in the top 2% of intelligent tests) to data from national surveys in order to
examine the prevalence of several disorders in those with higher intelligence compared to the
average population.
The results showed that highly intelligent people are 20% more likely to be diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder (ASD), 80% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, 83% more likely to be
diagnosed with anxiety, and 182% more likely to develop at least one mood disorder.

When it comes to physiological diseases, people with high cognitive abilities are 213% more likely
to have environmental allergies, 108% more likely to have asthma, and 84% more likely to have an
autoimmune disease.

The researchers turned to the field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) to look for some of the
answers. PNI examines how the chronic stress accumulated as a response to environmental
factors influences the communication between the brain and the immune system.

The researchers point out that highly intelligent people have tendencies for “intellectual
overexcitabilites" and a hyper-reactivity of the central nervous system. On the one hand, this gives
people with high IQ heightened awareness that helps their creative and artistic work. In fact, the
field of cognitive ability recognizes one aspect of highly intelligent people to be “a broader and
deeper capacity to comprehend their surroundings."

This hyper-reactivity, however, can also lead to deeper depressions and poor mental health. This
turns out to be particularly true for poets, novelists and people with high verbal intelligence. Their
 intense emotional response to the environment increases tendencies for rumination and worry,
both of which predict depression and anxiety disorders.
Source: Journal of Intelligence / High intelligence: A risk factor for psychological and physiological
overexcitabilitie, https://bigthink.com/design-for-good/why-highly-intelligent-people-suffer-more-
mental-and-physical-disorders

31. Knowledge is dangerous when it is broad, but superficial and disconnected from a commensurate
wisdom and capacity. Knowledge is also dangerous when we have knowledge far beyond our need
and station in life. This can make for great unhappiness…especially the unhappiness associated
with envy. In our day and age we tend to evaluate all things in terms of the pleasure we receive
from it. And idle curiosity can be followed to just as destructive effect as an unregulated appetite for
food. This is especially so in spiritual matters. Every monastic and aescetical discipline holds
knowledge that it does not share with novices, even if the novices are aware of the existence of
such knowledge.

Too much knowledge acquire too easily, too soon, too cavalierly is destructive burden and not the
useful intellectual or spiritual (though this is a different sort of gnosis) tool it was meant to be.

Source: https://www.quora.com/They-say-too-much-knowledge-is-dangerous-When-and-why-is-this-the-
case

32. It was King Solomon who said “he who increases knowledge increases sorrow” (Ecclesiastes
1:18). By this I understand that Solomon is speaking of human understanding. In other words the
greater the knowledge of the human condition the greater will be the sorrow. Think about GP's who
see people at their worst day after day or worse Psychiatrists dealing with extreme human
behaviour and mental illnesses.

What about police officers working in dense inner cities, detectives who may have to work closely
with the most depraved of characters. Even Priests or Vicars might fall into these same groups of
people who have to view the very worst of humanity often enough to become quite depressed by
what they see. This kind of knowledge can become very hard to bear. In that sense the opposite is
also true, “ignorance is bliss”. We all need to escape from reality from time to time. As for me I wish
I didn't know what I know about people but I do so I must live with that knowledge and with the
sorrow it can bring, if you look to closely at it.

33. ‘Knowing too much’ being a good or bad thing is dependent on the situation.For instance, knowing
‘too much’ in a particular professional field such as science, law, medicine etc can be a good thing.
Knowing too much about people’s private life and/or history may lead to the use of expressions like
TMI (too much information) or ‘ignorance is bliss’. There are instances wherein the “knowledge” is
false such as the geocentric model of Ptolemy of Alexandria (2nd century ce). It was generally
accepted until the 16th century. In that time, anything else was ignorance. That changed in 1543.
 Source: https://www.quora.com/Is-too-much-knowledge-a-dangerous-thing-1

34. Our conclusion is that we can be happy even while ignorant or mistaken about aspects of our
situation. After all, happiness is hard enough to achieve without requiring that the happy person be
fully cognizant of all conditions of life that might affect that individual’s outlook.

Source: https://blog.apaonline.org/2018/11/13/happiness-and-ignorance/?fbclid=IwAR0NQA653Q3sIwM-
aNycqcqrPci4Z6WE5hTYcwA79a9K9QdtiyVdb1U1bAo

ORIGIN:

Eighteenth century English poet Thomas Gray wrote a beautiful poem in 1742 titled "Ode on a Distant
Prospect of Eton College." In it, he wrote:

"Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise."

You can see how this phrase isn't meant to be taken literally. Gray was a poet, classical scholar, and
professor at Pembroke College in Cambridge. Surely, that's not a man opposed to knowledge.

Rather, he was waxing philosophical about a time when he was able to be ignorant -- in his childhood.
Surely, children know less than adults and are, therefore, allowed to enjoy their days without the "weight of
the world" on their shoulders. So, while ignorance isn't bliss exactly, it sure makes our days lighter and
more carefree.

QUOTES:

Education is a system of imposed ignorance. Noam Chomsky

“Too much knowledge is agony”

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge” was a quote said by
DANIEL BOORSTIN

“Blessed are the idiots, for they are happiest people on earth.”― Barry Hughart, Bridge of Birds

I know nothing, except the fact of my ignorance. Diogenes

Too much knowledge is a curse. Chuang Tzu explains, "Cherish that which is within you, and shut of that
without; for much knowledge is a curse."

Our knowledge can only be finite, while our ignorance must necessarily be infinite. Karl Popper

Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.

The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds. John F. Kennedy

There is no knowledge without ignorance

Entire ignorance is not so terrible or extreme an evil, and is far from being the greatest of all; too much
cleverness and too much learning, accompanied with ill bringing-up, are far more fatal. Plato

Entire ignorance is not so terrible or extreme an evil, and is far from being the greatest of all; too much
cleverness and too much learning, accompanied with ill bringing-up, are far more fatal. Plato

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/ignorance-quotes_2

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

LOGICAL FALLACIES

Ad Hominem Fallacy - Ad hominem is an insult used as if it were an argument or evidence in support of a

conclusion. Ex: “MacDougal roots for a British football team. Clearly he’s unfit to be a police chief in
Ireland.”

Strawman Argument - With the strawman argument, someone attacks a position the opponent doesn’t
really hold Ex: “The Senator thinks we can solve all our ecological problems by driving a Prius.”

Appeal to Ignorance - An appeal to ignorance isn’t proof of anything except that you don’t know something.
Ex: “We have no evidence that the Illuminati ever existed. They must have been so clever they destroyed
all the evidence.”

False Dilemma/False Dichotomy – Dilemma-based arguments are only fallacious when, in fact, there are
more than the stated options (either/or) Ex: “Either we go to war, or we appear weak.”

Slippery Slope Fallacy - The slippery slope fallacy suggests that unlikely or ridiculous outcomes are likely
when there’s just not enough evidence to think so. If I eat this donut today, I'll probably eat another donut
tomorrow. If I eat one donut tomorrow, I might eat several donuts the next day.

Circular Argument – When a person’s argument is just repeating what they already assumed beforehand,
it’s not arriving at any new conclusion Ex: The Bible is true; it says so in the Bible”

Hasty Generalization – general statement without sufficient evidence to support it Ex: “People nowadays
only vote with their emotions instead of their brains.”

Red Herring Fallacy - distraction from the argument typically with some sentiment that seems to be relevant
but isn’t really on-topic Ex: When your mom gets your phone bill and you have gone over the limit, you
begin talking to her about how hard your math class is and how well you did on a test today.
Tu Quoque Fallacy - “you too,” is also called the “appeal to hypocrisy” because it distracts from the
argument by pointing out hypocrisy in the opponent. Ex: “But, Dad, I know you smoked when you were my
age, so how can you tell me not to do it?”

Causal Fallacy - Post hoc ergo propter hoc. Logical breakdown when identifying a cause. Ex: Jimmy has a
fever, sinus congestion, a cough, and can’t come to school, so he probably has a test later today.”

Begging the Question - you assume without proof the stand/position, or a significant part of the stand, that
is in question. Ex: Happiness is the highest good for a human being, since all other values are inferior to it.

Equivocation (ambiguity) - when a word, phrase, or sentence is used deliberately to confuse, deceive, or
mislead by sounding like it’s saying one thing but actually saying something else. Ex: “I don’t understand
why you’re saying I broke a promise. I said I’d never speak again to my ex-girlfriend. And I didn’t. I just sent
her some pictures and text messages.”

Bandwagon Fallacy - assumes something is true (or right, or good) because other people agree with it. Ex:
“Almost everyone at my school will be at the party Friday night. It must be the right thing to do.”

Genetic Fallacy – based solely on someone's or something's history, origin, or source rather than its current
meaning or context. Ex: You're not going to wear a wedding ring, are you? Don't you know that the wedding
ring originally symbolized ankle chains worn by women to prevent them from running away from their
husbands? I would not have thought you would be a party to such a sexist practice.