Logical Fallacies

Logical Fallacies

They are the bright lights that look pretty at first glance, but really just cover up the dirty streets - not-so-logical statements that sound good at first, but can be easily disproven through reasoning.

Bandwagon

"Everybody's doing it! This fallacy relies on a person's FOMO to win an argument.

False Dilemma

deliberately presents only two options in an attempt to warp your understanding of a topic.

Ad Hominem

a strategy that attacks some aspect of the person instead of their argument in order to take the focus off the actual topic. "Why would you believe her? She's just a puny kid from Snoozeville!"

Red Herring

attempts to distract from the real argument by introducing something that has nothing to do with the true topic.

Hasty Generalization

an argument that uses a small sample size, often your own experiences, to make a definitive statement or universal conclusion.

Straw Man

an argument that distorts an opponent's argument, then seeks to refute the "new" argument. It is used to take the focus off the original issue. Ways one might use a straw man argument against an opponent:

• take an opponent's words out of context with the intent of misrepresenting him/her
• exaggerating or oversimplifying his/her argument and attacking it
• saying he/she made claims that he/she never actually made
• changing small, important details in his/her original argument