Types of Fallacy

Tell me What’s wrong!

1. He cheated on you, because all boys are cheaters.
2. I saw a black cat crossing the street earlier while I’m
on my way home, that is why I had an accident.
3. RiteMed medicine is the best, because Coco Martin
said so.
4. “I really shouldn’t eat this slice of pizza because if I
do, I’ll probably lose all control and go off my diet, and
then I’ll keep gaining weight and eventually get
diabetes”.
“Are these statements have valid reason?”
Types of Fallacy
 Fallacy
is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty
reasoning in the construction of an
argument which may appear to be a
well-reasoned argument if unnoticed.
TYPES OF FALLACY
 Hasty Generalization
This fallacy occurs when someone draws a conclusion
based on just a small sample size. In other words, the
conclusion is supported by insufficient evidence.
 EXAMPLE
"All boys are heartless. Jake broke
up with me, and now I'm
convinced that every boy will just
break your heart."
In this example, the girl is making a hasty
generalization by concluding that all boys
are heartless based on her experience with
one boy, Jake. She's assuming that because
Jake hurt her, every boy will behave
similarly. However, this conclusion is not
justified as it oversimplifies the behavior of
all boys based on the actions of one
individual.
 Post Hoc/False Cause
Assuming that an event must have
been the cause of a later event
because it happened earlier.
Wrongly assumes a cause and
effect relationship
 EXAMPLE
"Every time I wear my lucky
socks, my favorite team wins.
Therefore, my lucky socks must
be the reason my team wins."
In this example, the person is assuming that because they
wear their lucky socks and then their favorite team wins,
the socks must have caused the team's victory. However,
this conclusion is flawed because it assumes causation
based solely on the order of events (wearing the socks
before the team's victory) without considering other
possible explanations or factors that may have influenced
the outcome of the game. There's no evidence to support
the idea that the socks actually have any influence on the
outcome of the game. It's a classic example of the post hoc
fallacy, where correlation is mistaken for causation.
 EXAMPLE
The administration closed the smoking
area in our office at the end of last
year and layoffs have decreased this
year. Therefore, closing the smoking
area caused a reduction of layoffs.
 Appeal to Authority
the logical fallacy of saying a
claim is true simply because an
authority figure made it
 Example
"Andrea Brilliantes, a popular influencer
and celebrity, posted on her social media
account about how much she loves
Brilliant Skin skincare products.
Therefore, Brilliant Skin must be the best
skincare brand."
In this example, the argument relies on
Andrea's influence and popularity to persuade
others that Brilliant Skin skincare products are
the best. However, just because Andrea
endorsed the products doesn't necessarily
mean they are the best skincare brand for
everyone. This appeal to authority relies on the
celebrity's endorsement rather than objective
evidence about the quality or effectiveness of
the products.
 Appeal to Emotion
Influence people’s emotions in
order to get their attention away
from an important issue
 Example
Luke didn’t want to eat liver and bitter
gourd. However, his mother told him to
think about the poor, famished families
that were not fortunate enough to have
any food at all.
 Slippery Slope
it occurs when someone makes a
claim about a series of events that
would lead to one major event,
usually a bad event
 Example
John approaches Mary in the park and asks politely,
"Excuse me, what time is it?"
Mary, feeling apprehensive, responds with
suspicion, "You ask me for the time now, and then
next you'll ask for my number. After that, you'll
probably try to pursue me, ask me out on a date,
and then break my heart. No way."
 Red Herring
This fallacy occurs when someone
introduces irrelevant information
or an unrelated topic to divert
attention away from the original
issue being discussed.
 Example
"I know I didn't finish my project
on time, but let's talk about how
hard my workload has been lately.
It's been overwhelming!"
Ad hominem (Against the person)

Claims that an argument is wrong

because of a negative attribute of
someone making the argument.
 Ad Hominem
This fallacy occurs when someone
attacks the person making an argument
rather than the argument itself. It's an
attempt to discredit the argument by
discrediting the person presenting it.
 Example
"You shouldn't listen to John's
argument about climate change
because he's a known skeptic and has
financial ties to the fossil fuel
industry."
 Ad hominem tuquque
(“you too fallacy”)
Claims that an argument is false
because it is inconsistent with
something else a person has said or
what a person says is inconsistent with
his actions.
 Example
Coach Torres told coach Gomez, “you
are so much hard on your boys” coach
Gomez replied, “Look who’s talking!
just a while ago I heard your students
complaining. “
 Bandwagon
This fallacy occurs when someone
argues that because a majority of
people believe or do something, it
must be correct or true.
 Example
"Everyone is using this new
app, so it must be the best one
out there."
 False Dilemma
Also known as the false
dichotomy, this fallacy presents a
situation as if there are only two
possible options or outcomes,
ignoring other alternatives.
 Example
Teacher: "Alright, class, for the
upcoming project, you have two
options: create a poster presentation
or receive an automatic failing grade.
There are no other choices."
 Scare Tactic
(Appeal to Fear)
This fallacy is an attempt to frighten
people into agreeing with the
argument by using fear instead of valid
reasoning.
 Example
Speaker: "If you share your personal information
online, like your address or phone number, there are
dangerous people out there who can find you and
harm you. Your identity could get stolen, and you
could become a victim of cyberbullying. It's crucial to
remember that once something is posted online, it's
there forever, and you can never fully erase it. So be
careful, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
 Traditional Wisdom
While not always a fallacy, relying
solely on traditional wisdom
without considering other
evidence or advancements can
lead to errors in reasoning or
judgment.
 Example
"We've always done it
this way, so it must be
the best way."
 Practice
Let’s try to identify what
type of fallacy are the
following.
 Practice
1. If you don’t do your homework,
you’ll fail the class. If you fail the class,
you won’t graduate from school. If you
don’t graduate, you won’t get in to
college, then you won’t get a job, and
you will be poor and homeless.
 Practice
2. A little boy said that it
is not safe to swim in the
river, because his mother
told him so.
 Practice
3. When I was young, my dad
and brothers never helped
with the household chores. All
men are useless in the house.
 Practice
4. It was cloudy this morning,
so Sarah did the “Sun dance”
and it did not rain.
 Practice
5. A teacher tells students, "You
either finish your project by
tomorrow or fail the entire
course. There are no
extensions."
 Practice
6. A group of friends is deciding
which movie to watch, and Jack
says, "Let's watch the movie that
won all the awards last year.
Everyone loved it, so it must be
amazing!"
 Practice
7. During a debate about healthcare
reform, Sarah argues against a proposed
policy by saying, "We can't trust
anything Mike says because he's always
changing his mind, and he's been caught
lying before."
 Practice
8. A politician campaigning for stricter
immigration policies warns, "If we don't
secure our borders, terrorists will
infiltrate our country and threaten our
safety."
 Practice
9. During a discussion about climate
change, John deflects criticism of his
carbon footprint by saying, "Let's not
talk about my travel habits. What's
really important is reducing plastic
waste."
 Practice
10. A group of students is planning a
science experiment, and one suggests
using a particular method because "my
older brother always did it this way, and
he got good grades."
GROUP ACTIVITY
Group yourselves into 3
 ELABORATE
The ten types of fallacy we have
discussed also occur in a daily lives.
Give me an instance that you have
used any of this type in your
statement.
 ELABORATE
Is fallacious statement
tolerable? Why?
 ELABORATE
How can we
avoid fallacies?
GROUP ACTIVITY
Group yourselves into 3
 QUIZ
15 ITEMS-CHOOSE THE LETTER OF
THE CORRECT ANSWER IN THE
GIVEN CHOICES.
1. Which fallacy occurs when someone
draws a conclusion based on just a
small sample size?
A) Post Hoc
B) Appeal to Authority
C) Hasty Generalization
D) Slippery Slope
2. What is the fallacy where an event is
assumed to be the cause of a later
event because it happened earlier?
A) Slippery Slope
B) Red Herring
C) Ad Hominem
D) Post Hoc
3. Which fallacy occurs when a claim is
deemed true simply because an
authority figure made it?
A) Bandwagon
B) False Dilemma
C) Appeal to Authority
D) Scare Tactic
4. What is the name of the fallacy where
someone introduces irrelevant information
to divert attention from the main issue?
A) Ad Hominem
B) Red Herring
C) Bandwagon
D) Traditional Wisdom
5. Which fallacy occurs when someone
attacks the person making an argument
rather than the argument itself?
A) Slippery Slope
B) False Dilemma
C) Ad Hominem
D) Scare Tactic
6. What is the fallacy where an argument is
made assuming that because a majority
believes or does something, it must be
correct?
A) Hasty Generalization
B) Appeal to Authority
C) Bandwagon
D) Traditional Wisdom
7. Which fallacy presents a situation as if
there are only two possible options,
ignoring other alternatives?
A) False Dilemma
B) Post Hoc
C) Scare Tactic
D) Red Herring
8. What is the name of the fallacy where
fear is used instead of valid reasoning to
persuade someone?
A) Slippery Slope
B) Scare Tactic
C) Bandwagon
D) Traditional Wisdom
9. Which fallacy occurs when someone
makes a claim about a series of events
leading to one major event, usually a
negative one?
A) Hasty Generalization
B) Slippery Slope
C) Ad Hominem
D) False Dilemma
10. What fallacy involves relying solely on
traditional wisdom without considering
other evidence or advancements?
A) Traditional Wisdom
B) Appeal to Authority
C) Bandwagon
D) Red Herring
11. A group of students argues that since
their teacher said climate change is real, it
must be true.
Which fallacy is being committed?
A) Hasty Generalization
B) Appeal to Authority
C) Red Herring
D) Bandwagon
12. During a political debate, one
candidate accuses the other of being unfit
for office because of their appearance.
Which fallacy is being committed?
A) Hasty Generalization
B) Appeal to Authority
C) Red Herring
D) Ad Hominem
13. A company advertises their product by
claiming that "everyone is using it, so you
should too!"
Which fallacy is being committed?
A) Hasty Generalization
B) Appeal to Authority
C) Red Herring
D) Bandwagon
14. In a debate about immigration, one
debater brings up irrelevant points about
the economy to distract from the main
issue. Which fallacy is being committed?
A) Hasty Generalization
B) Appeal to Authority
C) Red Herring
D) Ad Hominem
15. A person argues against vaccination by saying,
"Well, my friend's cousin's neighbor got vaccinated
and then got sick, so vaccines must be dangerous."
Which fallacy is being committed?
A) Hasty Generalization
B) Appeal to Authority
C) Red Herring
D) Bandwagon