Logical Fallacies

Front

Everyone else is doing it, so you should, too.

Back

Bandwagon (ad populum)

Front

Occurs when someone takes another person's argument or point, distorts it or exaggerates it in some kind of extreme way, and then attacks the extreme distortion, as if that is really the claim the first person is making.

Back

Straw Man

Front

A logical fallacy where information is presented to distract from the main issue or argument being discussed.

Back

Red Herrings

Front

Reducing complex issues to black and white choices, therefore creating a problem(s) that doesn't really exist... also referred to as a "false dilemma"

Back

Either--Or

Front

"How can the police ticket me for speeding? I see cops speeding all the time."

Back

Tu Quoque

Front

This fallacy occurs when the writer presents an arguable point as a fact that supports the argument, leading to an argument that goes around and around, with evidence making the same claim as the proposition.

Back

Begging the Question (circular logic)

Front

An argument based on insufficient evidence or on a conclusion that was made by looking at a small group as representative of the whole.

Back

Hasty Generalization

Front

What type of logical fallacy is described in the statement: "If we force public elementary school pupils to wear uniforms, eventually we will require middle school students to wear uniforms. If we require middle school students to wear uniforms, high school requirements aren't far off. Eventually, even college students who attend state-funded, public universities will be forced to wear uniforms."

Back

Slippery Slope

Front

"Eating five candy bars and drinking two sodas before a test helps me get better grades. I did that and got an A on my last test."

Back

Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc

Front

Type of argument that limits itself not to the issue, but to the opposition by bringing the opposition's character into question. Options: Hasty Generalization, Red Herring, Ad Hominem, Post Hoc

Back

Ad Hominem