Common logical fallacies that weaken written arguments, with a short example of each drawn from composition.
30 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What fallacy attacks the arguer instead of the argument?
- Ad hominem. Example: Your opinion on climate policy is worthless because you work for an oil company.
- What fallacy misrepresents an opponent's argument to make it easier to refute?
- Straw man. Example: An essay argues for stricter gun regulations; the opponent claims it says all guns should be banned.
- What fallacy assumes the conclusion it is trying to prove?
- Begging the question (circular reasoning). Example: Astrology must be valid because it has been studied for centuries, and anything studied for centuries must be valid.
- What fallacy presents only two options when more exist?
- False dilemma. Example: Either you support our policy completely, or you do not care about the environment.
- What fallacy uses an expert in one field to support a claim in an unrelated field?
- Appeal to authority (misused). Example: A famous actor says this diet works, so it must be effective.
- What fallacy substitutes emotional response for logical evidence?
- Appeal to emotion. Example: An essay uses heartwarming stories instead of data to argue for a policy.
- What fallacy draws a broad conclusion from too few examples?
- Hasty generalization. Example: I met two rude people from Boston, so all Bostonians are rude.
- What fallacy assumes one event caused another simply because it happened first?
- Post hoc ergo propter hoc (false cause). Example: The crime rate dropped after the mayor took office, so the mayor's policies reduced crime.
- What fallacy claims one event will inevitably lead to extreme consequences without evidence?
- Slippery slope. Example: If we allow one person to work from home, soon everyone will, and the office will be abandoned.
- What fallacy introduces an irrelevant topic to distract from the main argument?
- Red herring. Example: We should not raise teacher salaries; did you know sports are expensive?
- What fallacy argues something is correct because it has always been done that way?
- Appeal to tradition. Example: We should not change how courses are taught because that is how we have always taught them.
- What fallacy argues something is good because it is natural or bad because it is artificial?
- Appeal to nature. Example: Organic farming is better because it is natural, while pesticides are harmful because they are synthetic.
- What fallacy uses a word with multiple meanings to misleadingly suggest they support the same claim?
- Equivocation. Example: A sound argument is one free of errors; that stereo system produces sound; therefore the stereo is a good argument.
- What fallacy uses emotionally charged words to bias the reader without providing evidence?
- Loaded language. Example: The propaganda machine claims the new law is beneficial rather than The department argues the law is beneficial.
- What fallacy argues something is true because many people believe it?
- Bandwagon (appeal to popularity). Example: Everyone is buying this supplement, so it must work.
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