Rhetorical Fallacies

Sentimental Appeals

The thousand of baby seals killed in the Exxon Valdez oil spill have shown us that oil is not a reliable energy source.

Red Herrings

That painting is worthless because I don't recognize the artist.

Scare Tactics

If you don't support the party's tax plan, you and your family will be reduced to poverty.

Bandwagon Appeals

Paris Hilton carries a small dog in her purse, so you should buy a hairless Chihuahua and put it in your Louis Vuitton.

Slippery Slope

If you get a B in high school, you won't get into the college of your choice, and therefore will never have a meaningful career.

Either/Or Choices

The patent office can either approve my generator design immediately or say goodbye forever to affordable energy.

False Need

You need an expensive car or people won't think you're cool.

False Authority

My high school teacher said it, so it must be true.

Using Authority Instead of Evidence

Trust me - my best friend wouldn't do that.

Guilt by Association

Sara's friend Amy robbed a bank; therefore, Sara is a delinquent.

Dogmatism

I'm sorry, but I think penguins are sea creatures and that's that.

Moral Equivalence

These mandatory seatbelt laws are fascist.

Ad Hominem

Why should we think a candidate who recently divorced will keep her campaign promises?

Strawperson

A: We need to regulate access to handguns.
B: My opponent believes that we should ignore the rights guaranteed to us as citizens of the United States by the Constitution. Unlike my opponent, I am a firm believer in the Constitution, and a proponent of fre

Hasty Generalization

I wouldn't eat at that restaurant�the only time I ate there, my entree was undercooked.

Faulty Causality(or Post Hoc)

A year after the release of the violent shoot-'em-up video game Annihilator, incidents of school violence tripled�surely not a coincidence.

Non Sequitur

If those protesters really loved their country, they wouldn't question the government.

Equivocation

I did not have sexual relations with that woman." - President Bill Clinton

Begging the Question

His lies are evident from the untruthful nature of his statements.

Faulty Analogy

Letting prisoners out on early release is like absolving them of their crimes.

Stacked Evidence

Cats are superior to dogs because they are cleaner, cuter, and more independent.