Logical Fallacies

Example
• You visit a new country and the first person you
meet in the airport is rude. You send a message
to a friend back home that everyone in this new
country is rude.

• Christine has a terrible experience with a

boyfriend. She decides that all boys are mean.

• Kevin's grandparents do not know how to use a

computer. Kevin thinks that all older people must
be computer illiterate.
Example
• The band received a police escort back
into town. A member must have
committed a crime.
Example
• Every time I go to sleep, the sun goes down. Therefore, my
going to sleep causes the sun to set."
Example
• “Guns are like hammers—they’re both tools with metal parts
that could be used to kill someone. And yet it would be
ridiculous to restrict the purchase of hammers
• A commercial claims that a specific brand of cereal is the best
way to start the day because athlete Michael Jordan says that
it is what he eats every day for breakfast.
• Someone argues that drinking is morally wrong and cites a
sermon from her pastor at church.
Example
• Commercials that show starving children in Africa before
asking for donations to feed them.
• Saying that you support a specific candidate for class
president, only because he has recently been diagnosed with
cancer.
• When you did not finish an assignment on time, you tell your
teacher about how your printer was out of ink, but that you
didn't want to ask your mom to go to the store because she
works nights, doesn't get much sleep, and she was sleeping
Example
• “TRY NEW, IMPROVED [fill in the blank with the
name of any one of innumerable commercial
products]. EVERYBODY’s USING IT!
• “Gods must exist, since every culture has some
sort of belief in a higher being.”
• “The Bold and the Listless must be a great book.
It’s been on the best seller list for 8 weeks.
Example
• “How can you argue your case for vegetarianism when you are
enjoying that steak?”
Example
• Opposing argument: Teens should be taught about
contraception methods so they can practice safe sex should
they choose to have intercourse.
• Straw man argument: Proponents of sex education want to
give kids license to have sex with no consequences.
Example
• Daughter: "I'm so hurt that Todd broke up with me,
Mom." Mother: "Just think of all the starving children in
Africa, honey. Your problems will seem pretty
insignificant then."
• Andy: "Hey, what's with all this junk food you bought?
You're always railing at me about eating healthy." Aunt
Bea: "Don't fuss -- it was on sale."
Example
• Hot dogs are better than nothing. Nothing is better than
Hamburgers. Therefore, hot dogs are better than hamburgers.
• This is a popular example, and I do not know the original
source. Notice how "nothing" means "no thing" in the first
premise, but it means "all things" in the second premise.
• 2) Feathers are light. What is light cannot be dark. Therefore,
feathers are not dark.
• Notice how “light” refers to weight in the first sentence, but to
color in the second.
• 3) I cannot freely break the speed limit or fly to the moon.
Therefore, I do not have free will.