Types of Logical Fallacy

Misusing logical appeal in a persuasive setting can hurt the credibility of a claim or
person. Below are different types of logical fallacy that can cause one to lose credibility.
Logical Fallacy
Definition: An attack against an opponent’s character instead of against an argument.
Example: Francis Bacon’s philosophy should be dismissed since Bacon was removed
from his chancellorship for dishonesty.
Begging the question
Definition: When the claim is included in the evidence, so nothing is proved.
Example: Since I’m not lying, I must be telling the truth.
Complex cause
Definition: A complex event is shown as having only one cause.
Example: We lost the game because Wilson missed the last shot.
Complex question
Definition: When two different points are linked together in one statement.
Example: Do you support freedom and the right to bear arms?
Either/or; also called false dilemma
Definition: When only two options are given when many choices exist
Example: Either you’re for the Republican plan or you’re a socialist and un-American.
Equivocation
Definition: Using a same word with two different meanings.
Example: The sign said, “Fine for Parking Here,” so since it was fine, I parked here.
False analogy
Definition: Comparing two things that are not similar enough to compare.
Example: That political leader is the Jesus Christ of the 20th century.
False authority
Definition: When someone who is not an expert gives testimony.
Example: I bought a Harley Davidson because Arnold Schwarzenegger says it’s the
best motorcycle.
Faulty cause and effect
Definition: Lack of connection between two consecutive events.
Example: Because I watched “Friends” last night, I passed my math test.
Hasty generalization
Definition: When a claim draws a conclusion based on insufficient evidence.
Example: Women are bad drivers.
Moral equivalence
Definition: Comparing something minor to something serious, as if they are equal.
Example: That police officer who gave me a ticket is as bad as Hitler.
Placing blame elsewhere
Definition: Avoiding the issues by attacking something else.
Example: You criticize Chinese human rights violations, but what about the homeless in
American slums?
Prejudicial language
Definition: Loaded or overly emphasized word choice.
Example: Right-wing fanatics and NRA stormtroopers will fight to keep guns firing.
Red herring
Definition: When a rebuttal ignores the question asked.
Example: Question: Did the president have an affair? Answer: The president is very
busy at the moment with the Middle East peace talks and has no time for silly
accusations.
Stacking the deck
Definition: Completely leaving out one side of an argument.
Example: There should be no “moment of silence” in schools because it discriminates
against certain religions, causes unnecessary controversy and takes away from study
time.
Straw Man
Definition: Attacking an opponent’s weaker argument rather than his strongest.
Example: Senator Jones says that we should not fund the attack submarine program. I
disagree entirely. I can’t understand why he wants to leave us defenseless like that.
Wrong direction
Definition: The cause-and-effect relationship is reversed.
Example: Cancer causes smoking.

1. Ad Hominem: This occurs when an author attacks his opponent instead of his
opponent’s argument.
Example: Trina thinks guns should be outlawed but Trina doesn’t go to church, so
we shouldn’t listen to her
2. Ad Populum: Ad Populum attempts to prove an argument as correct simply
because many people believe it to be so.
Example: 80% of people are for the death penalty, therefore, the death penalty is
moral.
3. Appeal to Authority: In this fallacious argument, the author claims his argument is
right because someone famous or powerful supports it.
Example: We should change the drinking age because Einstein believed that 18 was
the proper drinking age
4. Begging the Question: This happens when the author’s premise and conclusion
say the same thing.
Example: Fashion magazines don’t hurt women’s self esteem because women’s
confidence is intact after reading the magazine.
5. False Dichotomy: This fallacy rests on the assumption that there are only two
possible solutions, so disproving one solution means that other solution should be
utilized. It ignores other alternative solutions.Example: The teacher gives too many
A’s and therefore must be fired because grade inflation is unfair to other students
6. Hasty Generalization: Hasty Generalization occurs when the proponent uses too
small of a sample size to support a sweeping generalization.Example: Sally couldn’t
find any cute clothes at the boutique and neither could Maura, so the boutique
doesn’t have any cute clothes.
7. Post Hoc/ False Cause: This fallacy assumes that correlation equals causation or,
in other words, if one event predicts another event it must have also caused the
event.Example: The football team gets better grades than the baseball team,
therefore playing football makes you smarter than playing baseball.
8. Missing the Point: In Missing the Point, the premise of the argument supports a
specific conclusion but not the one the author draws. Example: Antidepressants are
overly prescribed which is dangerous, so they should clearly be made illegal.
9. Spotlight Fallacy: This occurs when the author assumes that the cases that receive
the most publicity are the most common cases.Example: 90% of news reports talk
about negative events. Therefore, it follows that 90% of events that occur in the real
world are negative.
10. Straw Man: In this fallacy, the author puts forth one of his opponent’s weaker, less
central arguments forward and destroys it, while acting like this argument is the crux
of the issue.Example: My opponent wants to increase teachers’ pay but studies
have shown that professors with tenure don’t work as hard at their job to improve
themselves.