Logical Fallacies Vocabulary

attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself

“Dismissing her point because she's young is an ad hominem fallacy.”

using an authority figure's opinion as evidence when they lack relevant expertise

“Citing a celebrity's medical advice is an appeal to authority.”

using emotional manipulation instead of logical arguments

“The commercial used sad music as an appeal to emotion.”

arguing something is good because it's 'natural'

“Claiming organic foods are healthier is often an appeal to nature.”

arguing something is true because many people believe it

“Everyone uses this product isn't a valid argument—that's the bandwagon fallacy.”

assuming the conclusion in the premise; circular reasoning

“The Bible is true because it says so is begging the question.”

shifting the responsibility to disprove a claim rather than prove it

“Prove unicorns don't exist misplaces the burden of proof.”

selecting only evidence that supports your position while ignoring contradictory data

“The study was accused of cherry picking favorable results.”

using the conclusion as a premise in the argument

“I'm right because I'm never wrong is circular reasoning.”

assuming that because two things correlate, one causes the other

“Ice cream sales and drownings both rise in summer—correlation, not causation.”

using a word with multiple meanings to mislead

“The law is the law uses equivocation to avoid nuance.”

presenting only two options when more exist

“You're either with us or against us is a false dichotomy.”

treating two different things as if they were the same

“Comparing petty theft to murder is a false equivalence.”

believing past random events affect future probabilities

“The coin landed heads five times, so tails is due is the gambler's fallacy.”

judging something based on its origin rather than its current meaning

“Dismissing an idea because of who proposed it is a genetic fallacy.”

drawing broad conclusions from limited examples

“Meeting one rude person from a city and judging all residents is a hasty generalization.”

a question containing an unjustified assumption

“Have you stopped cheating? is a loaded question.”

changing the criteria for proof after evidence is presented

“After she met his demands, he moved the goalposts.”

dismissing counterexamples by redefining the group

“No real fan would dislike this movie is the no true Scotsman fallacy.”

introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention

“Bringing up his charity work during the fraud trial was a red herring.”

arguing that one event will inevitably lead to extreme consequences

“If we allow this, soon anything goes is a slippery slope argument.”

misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack

“He built a straw man version of her position, then demolished it.”

continuing something because of previously invested resources

“Staying in a bad job because you've been there for years is the sunk cost fallacy.”

deflecting criticism by pointing to the critic's similar behavior

“You smoke too is a tu quoque response to health advice.”

responding to criticism by pointing to others' faults

“What about their mistakes? is classic whataboutism.”

arguing that something is valid because it has always been done that way

“We've always done it this way is an appeal to tradition.”

arguing that a conclusion must be true because it has not been proven false

“No one has proven aliens don't exist, so they must exist is an appeal to ignorance.”