10 Major Fallacies

https://successfulstudent.org/the-art-to-argument-persuasion-logical-fallacies/

What Are Logical Fallacies?

Fallacies are errors in reasoning that undermine the logic of your argument. Fallacies can be illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points. They often lack evidence that supports a claim.

Avoid fallacies in your own arguments and watch for them!

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/logic_in_argumentative_writing/fallacies.html

Index

Straw Man

Loaded Question

Post Hoc

Ad Hominem

Begging the Question

Slippery Slope

False Dilemma

Appeal to Authority

Hasty Generalization

Appeal to Popular Opinion

Index

Straw Man

False Analogy

Post Hoc

Ad Hominem

Begging the Question

Slippery Slope

False Dilemma

Appeal to Authority

Hasty Generalization

Appeal to Popular Opinion

Index

Straw Man

When you replace your opponent's position with a different one, and then attack that position (attacking the "straw man").

"GRILLED CHEESE AND PEPPERONI IS THE BEST LUNCH AT mONTY TECH!"nO, IT'S CHICKEN BOWL!" "nO, GRILLED CHEESE AND PEPPERONI IS THE BEST." "yOU JUST HATE CHICKEN BOWL!"

Problema

Index

Loaded Question

When you are posed a question that you can't answer. There are one or more options that contradict your actual thoughts or feelings on a subject.

So when are you going to stop cheating on your tests?

Index

Ad Hominem

(Translation: to the person)

When you attack the person and not their argument. Usually, you attack someone's character, identity, or something personal (like their appearance), instead of attacking their actual position. This is common in political debate.

"The hallways are too narrow and crowded in this school!"

"What do you know? You're only a silly, little freshman."

Index

Post Hoc

(Translation: after this)

This occurs when someone assumes causality from an order of events. If it seems like B always happens after A, then A must cause B. Correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation.

"Everytime the cafeteria serves Chicken Bowl, it rains that afternoon. Therefore, Chicken Bowls cause it to rain."

Index

Begging the Question

Begging the question is a circular argument. It occurs when the premises that support an argument assume the conclusion is true. It would be like saying a product is the most expensive because it has the highest price. Example: The Apple iPhone is the best smartphone on the planet because no one makes a better smartphone than Apple does.

Index

False Dilemma

(False Two-Parter)

A False Dilemma is when the arguer presents only two possible options or outcomes, when in reality there are more.

"You have a choice: Cheetos or M&Ms?"

Index

Slippery Slope

A slippery slope argument takes an initial premise and sees it through a chain of consequences until you arrive at an unacceptable, undesirable, or disastrous outcome.

If you don’t do your homework, you’ll fail the class. If you fail the class, you won’t graduate from school. If you don’t graduate, you won’t get a good job. If you don’t get a good job, you’ll be poor and homeless. You don’t want to be poor and homeless, do you?

Appeal to Authority

Index

Merely quoting an authoritydoesn’t make an argument correct or incorrect. An argument is correct, or incorrect, depending on sufficient, unbiased evidence.

“The earth is flat.” “How do you know that?” “Because my mother told me.”

Hasty Generalization

Index

A hasty generalization is a conclusion that is made too quickly and without sufficient, unbiased evidence.

"Don't eat the salad here." "Why?" "There's bugs in the lettuce. I got it once and there was a big, black fly!"

Appeal to Popular Opinion

Index

When someone makes an argument that a position is true because a lot (or the majority) of people have that position.

"Coca-cola is the best soda." "Why?" "Everyone says so!"

Index

How do you prevent making logical fallacies in arguments? 1. Learn the most common fallacies. 2. Assess your own arguments to see if you make use any logical fallacies. 3. Have an internal monitor when you speak or write to spot fallacies, especially when people seem upset when you argue with them.

How do you respond to a logical fallacy? 1. Identify the specific fallacy by name. 2. Explain what the fallacy means to the individual. 3. Explain how it was used in the argument.