Logical Fallacies

Ad Hominem Fallacy

• MacDougal roots for a British football team. Clearly he’s unfit to be a police chief in Ireland.

• All people from Crete are liars

The Senator: "Given the ecological problems we are facing, every slightest effort is a must. We can all chose to drive a Prius, as our contribution to the future."

Which of the following is a Straw Man Fallacy ?

• The Senator thinks we can solve all our ecological problems by driving a Prius.

• The senator advices everyone to drive a Prius.

Lady Gaga is not a successful businesswoman because she dresses like a weirdo.

• False Analogy

• Ad Hominem Fallacy

Guns are like hammers

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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

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so restrictions on purchasing guns are equally ridiculous.

• false analogy

• false authority

Appeal to peer pressure and group identity.

"Six million read a paper—must be excellent"

• Red Herring

• Bandwagon

It is ridiculous to have spent thousands of dollars to rescue those two whales trapped in the Arctic ice. Why look at all the people trapped in jobs they don’t like.

• Red Herring
• Begging the Question
• Post Hoc
• Hasty Generalization

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Water fluoridation affects the brain. Citywide, student’s test scores began to drop five months after fluoridation began.

• Red Herring
• Post Hoc
• Hasty Generalization 
• Straw Man

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I know three redheads who have terrible tempers, and since Annabel has red hair, I’ll bet she has a terrible temper too.

• Post Hoc
• Red Herring
• Hasty Generalization
• Slippery Slope

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Get Verizon--1 billion people can't be wrong.

• Post Hoc
• Bandwagon
• Straw Man
• Hasty Generalization

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Billy - "An apple is a vegetable."  Bobby - "Don't listen to Billy; he failed Spanish class last year. "

• ad hominem
• either/or
• red herring
• bandwagon appeal

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