APPEAL TO IGNORANCE
An appeal to ignorance uses lack of evidence (for or against) as the basis of the argument. For example, if something can't be disproven, it must be true!
Example
You have a family member who has a terminal disease. You hear of a possible new cure being o
HASTY GENERALIZATION
Definition
A hasty generalization occurs 'when a conclusion is drawn from a sample that is too small or selective to assume with any confidence that it represents the subject accurately' (Goodpaster & Kirby, 2006, p. 205).
POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC
Definition
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc at times is one of the most persuasive fallacies. Assuming that because B follows A, A must have caused B. This is an easy fallacy to assume because this could happen, but we cannot always assume this happens. Some thi
APPEAL TO AUTHORITY
An Appeal to Authority is a fallacy with the following form:
Person A is (claimed to be) an authority on subject S.
Person A makes claim C about subject S.
Therefore, C is true (Nizkor, 2013).
In the video above, we see a young man proceed with a lawsuit
SLIPPERY SLOPE
Definition
Slippery Slope can be described as an analogy to take the argument in one direction with a series of steps leading to a much more extreme outcome. Once someone asks for one thing and receives it, they will not stop until they have taken it all
FALLACY OF DIVISION
Definition
What is true for the whole has to be true for any of the pieces of the whole as well (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2011, p.192).
Example
Housing prices are down in the United States. This means that housing prices are down in my neighborhood. Since ever
CIRCULAR REASONING
Definition
This fallacy is also known as "talking in circles". The premise is restated instead of proven. The conclusion of the argument is actually one of the stated premises, so no evidence is offered to support the argument.
Example
Thunder Lope is a g
EITHER/OR
Definition
An either/or fallacy does not acknowledge that opposing claims could both be true, that grey areas may exist between the two alternatives, or that other possibilities exist.
Example
An example of an either/or fallacy is saying that either hambu
FALLACY OF COMPOSITION
Definition
Putting two or more "good" things together does not necessarily mean they will be good together. This fallacy looks at something from two perspectives: as a whole, and made up of parts. The argument is if something is true about the parts, then
EXTRAVAGANT HYPOTHESIS
Definition
Formulating a complex or unlikely explanation for an event when a simpler explanation would do. A "principle called "Occam's razor" states that the simplest explanation for an event is to be preferred over a more complex one, so long as the sim
IS/OUGHT
The Is/Ought Fallacy occurs when the assumption is made that because things are a certain way, they should always be that way. It could also mean because something is not happening now it should never happen. It seeks to place value on facts based on mora
APPEAL TO TRADITION
Definition
An Appeal to Tradition is when the past or traditions are used as a source of authority. It is assumed that something is better or correct because "that is the way it has always been done". This type of reasoning if fallacious because age or th
FALSE ANALOGY
Definition
False analogy is also called a "weak analogy." This means that the similarities between the two things being compared are not substantial enough to assume that another characteristic of one of them probably applies to the other.
Example: Coffee
BANDWAGON APPEAL
Definition
The argument that since something is popular or everybody is doing it, so should you. Think of peer pressure or popularity as being the basis of the argument.