Logical Fallacies PDF

Logical Fallacy: What exactly is a logical fallacy? A strong argument uses valid reasoning and logic in support of a claim. When an argument or claim introduces irrelevant information or misrepresents the issues at hand, it may be committing a logical fallacy. Circular Reasoning type of...

Logical Fallacy: What exactly is a logical fallacy? A strong argument uses valid reasoning and logic in support of a claim. When an argument or claim introduces irrelevant information or misrepresents the issues at hand, it may be committing a logical fallacy. Circular Reasoning type of argument that tries to prove something by simply repeating the thing they are trying to prove Hasty Generalization An argument that jumps to conclusions without a lot of information. It could also be seen as making a decision about how to respond to a situation based on limited experience of that kind of situation. Slippery Slope a type of argument that anticipates a series of cause-and-e ect events without any logical evidence for its premises or conclusions. It assumes that if one event happens, it will cause a chain of events to occur that will ultimately lead to a nal conclusion. Straw Man An argument in which the person sets up and then attacks a position that is not actually being debated. A straw man argument is a type of red herring, an argument meant to cause confusion, one that is deliberately misleading and irrelevant to the actual issue at hand. Ad Hominem an argument attacking the person or group of people making the opposing argument without addressing the content of the argument. Rather than argue against the substance of the opposition's argument and presenting evidence-based logic and reason, the ad hominem fallacy attacks the character or characteristics of a person or group. Bandwagon Fallacy An argument that assumes something is accurate or inaccurate based upon popularity. It assumes the popular choice is always the best choice. False Analogy An argument that uses the assumption that if two things are alike in one regard, they must be alike in other ways. Ignoring the Question An argument that purposefully or misses the point in order to the direction of the initial argument. False Authority An argument using an alleged authority as evidence in the argument when the authority is not really an authority on the facts relevant to the argument. Red herring An argument that uses confusion or distraction of a completely unrelated topic to shift attention toward a false conclusion. fi ff