Logical Fallacies:

SSB
logically fallacious
 Logical Fallacy

Logical Fallacies are:

errors in reasoning ( spoken or written)
that render the arguments invalid

© RKS
2
A logical fallacy is, roughly speaking, an
error of reasoning. When someone
adopts a position, or tries to persuade
someone else to adopt a position, based
on a bad piece of reasoning, they commit
a fallacy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS9W-wlJHPA

(Cathy Newman and Jordan Peterson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2CxDu7jiyE
( Trump Fallacies)
 Ad Hominem: Argument Against the Man

Unfairly attacking the person instead of the

issue at hand
Attacking a person’s character or position
Rejecting or criticizing another person’s
view on the basis of personal
characteristics, background, physical
appearance, or other features irrelevant
to the argument at issue.
Begging the Question:(Circular Argument)
(petitio principii)

… Assuming to be true a premise that you are

trying to prove

God exists – because the Bible says so.

Global warming doesn’t exist because the
earth isn’t getting warmer.
 Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

… after this, therefore because of this.

Assuming because two things happen, the
first one caused the second one.

I saw a cat ( magpie) and then I crashed my car.

Cats (magpies) are bad luck.
 False Analogy

Comparing between two things that have

more dissimilarities than similarities

Government is like business. Since businesses

strive for profit, so should the government.
People who cannot go without their coffee
every morning are no better than alcoholics
 Red Herring – fallacy of distraction

Presenting an argument unrelated to the

subject to distract the audience
 Slippery Slope – one step will inevitably
lead to another and another and then to
DOOM
If America doesn’t send weapons to the
Syrian rebels, they won’t be able to defend
themselves against their warring dictator.
They’ll lose their civil war, and that dictator
will oppress them, and the Soviets will
consequently carve out a sphere of influence
that spreads across the entire Middle East.
 Hasty Generalisation: general conclusion
from a small or biased sample

Hitler was a vegetarian. Therefore, I don’t trust

any vegetarians
Well, my Uncle smoked 10 cigarettes a day and
he lived upto 109. so, cigarettes mustn’t be
bad or health.

Even though it's only the first day, I can tell this
is going to be a boring course.
Straw Man: Wilfully misrepresenting others’
argument in a hyperbolic fashion

In the straw man fallacy, someone attacks a

position the opponent doesn’t really hold.
Example – we should cut down on our use of
fossil fuels.
Oh you want to ban all our cars and make all old
people ride bicycle ?
 Another Straw-men

After Mr Gadgil said that we should put more

money into health and education, Mr Singh
responded by saying that he was surprised
that Mr Gadgil hates our country so much
that he wants to leave it defenceless by
cutting military spending.
Tu Quoque Fallacy: who are you to talk

So what if I did it, you did it too.

If your sister who doesn’t exercise says you
should go to gym to stay healthy – Ill do when
you will do, who are you to lecture ?
Pramod : You cheated on your income tax. Don't
you realize that's wrong?
Anubhav : Hey, wait a minute. You cheated on
your income tax last year. Or have you
forgotten about that?
 Appeal to Ignorance (argumentum ad
ignorantiam)

Claiming that simply because something has

not yet been proven that it is not the case
Or,
.. That simply because something has not been
disproven that is the case.

No one ever provided evidence that ghosts do

not exist, therefore ghosts exist
 Genetic Fallacy – an argument is wrong
because of the source

The Volkswagen Beetle is an evil car because

it was originally designed by Hitler's army.
 Appeal to Authority (argumentum ad
verecundiam) “argument from respect”
Being an expert in particle physics doesn’t
automatically mean that you’ll have sensible
opinions.
Or we can cite irrelevant authorities, poor
authorities, or false authorities.
A commercial claims that a specific brand of
cereal is the best way to start the day because
athlete Michael Jordan says that it is what he
eats every day for breakfast.
 False Dichotomy

Either you agree with everything I say or you

are with the devil. There’s no middle ground.

President of a nation: You all either with us or

against us.