“I've met three redheads and they

READING AND were all mean, so all redheads are

mean.”
WRITING Do not re-sell this reviewer:)
Original: NewEye-07_Yve Elle “The car that just cut me off is from
Lesson: LOGICAL FALLACY South Dakota, so all South Dakotans
are jerks.”

LOGICAL FALLACY
3. BANDWAGON APPEAL
 make an argument weak by using
 An attempt is made to validate or
mistaken beliefs/ideas, invalid
prove a point by suggesting
arguments, illogical arguments, and/or
“everyone believes it”
deceptiveness.
 claiming that something is true
 ommon errors in reasoning that will
because everyone believes it
undermine the logic of your argument.
 Sometimes called the appeal to
Fallacies can be either illegitimate
common belief or appeal to the
arguments or irrelevant points, and are
masses because it's all about
often identified because they lack
getting people to do or think
evidence that supports their claim.
something because “everyone
 errors in reasoning that are based on
else is doing it” or “everything else
poor or faulty logic
thinks this.”
 writers will purposefully use logical
fallacies to make an argument seem “If you’re shopping for a smartphone,
more persuasive or valid than it really is. go with the iPhone 13. It’s the best-
selling phone right now; the numbers
don’t lie.”
1. AD HOMINEM
“It’s okay to cheat on exams because
 Occurs when we shift our focus
everybody does it.”
from the premises and conclusions
of the argument and focus instead
on the individual making the
4. FALSE CAUSE
argument
 The writer implies that because
 (Attacking the person): This
one event follows another in time
fallacy occurs when, instead of
the first event causes the second
addressing someone's argument
 falsely assumes that one event
or position, you irrelevantly attack
causes another.
the person or some aspect of the
person who is making the “The current president caused high
argument. inflation”
“Of course Marx' theories about the “The rooster’s call is what causes the
ideal society are bunk. The guy spent sun to rise”
all his time in the library.”
“Hey, Professor Moore, we shouldn't
5. TESTIMONIAL
have to read this book by Freud.
 also called appeal to authority
Everyone knows he used cocaine.”
 Use of a respcted/well-known but
non-expert figure to recommend a
product, position or cause
2. HASTY GENERALIZATION
 inserting an endorsement of the
 Occurs when reaching a
argument by someone who is
conclusion without any, or little
popular or respected but who
evidence to back up the argument
lacks expertise or authority in the
 a conclusion that is reached is not
area under discussion
logically justified by sufficient or
 happens when a popular or
unbiased evidence, generalized
from inadequate evidence respected figure endorses a
 certain argument, yet they lack  is an argument that assumes the
any expertise in the subject very thing it is trying to prove is
matter being argued. true. Instead of offering evidence,
it simply repeats the conclusion,
“I'm not a doctor, but I play one on rendering the argument logically
TV” incoherent
“Everyone loves Rebecca, because
6. CARD-STACKING she is so popular.”
 Carefully selecting only facts that “You must obey the law, because it's
support the writer’s position illegal to break the law.”
 also called nitpicking or cherry
picking fallacy
 lso known as selective evidence or 9. FALSE COMPARISON
the fallacy of incomplete evidence,  This fallacy consists in assuming
occurs when someone deliberately that because two things are alike
selects and presents only a portion in one/more respects; they are
of the available data or necessarily alike in some other
information to support their respect/in all respects
argument or viewpoint  an informal fallacy in which an
“A presidential candidate mentioned equivalence is drawn between two
all the cities where his tax policy subjects based on flawed or false
decreased crime and failed to reasoning. This fallacy is
mention all the cities where his policy categorized as a fallacy of
increased crime” inconsistency. Colloquially, a false
equivalence is often called
"comparing apples and oranges."
7. RED HERRING “Broccoli has significantly less fat than
 An irrelevant point is introduced to the leading candy bar”
divert the readers attention from
the main reason
 an attempt to redirect a 10. AD PO PULUM
conversation away from its  (Argument to the people)
original topic. A red herring is used  The attempt to win popular assert
by introducing an irrelevant piece to a conclusion by arousing the
of information that distracts the emotions and enthusiasms of the
reader or listener. multitude rather than by appeal to
“A police officer pulls a car over for the facts
speeding. The driver complains,  a claim that something is true
saying that they shouldn't pay a fine simply because that's what a large
since there are so many dangerous number of people believe. In other
criminals out there and the police words, if many people believe
should be chasing them instead. something to be true, then it must
Although worse criminals do exist, be true. Ad populum fallacy
this is a separate issue” example You're at a bookstore
browsing for books with a friend.
“"Nine out of ten dentists recommend
8. CIRCULAR REASONING this toothpaste, so it must be
 An assertion that should be effective!"
proved by argument is stated as
truth. This arguments ‘invite us to "Join the thousands of satisfied
assume something has been customers who have switched to our
proved when it has merely been brand!"
restricted” Do not re-sell this reviewer:)
 also called begging the question. Original: NewEye-07_Yve Elle
11. NON SEQUITUR 14. AD MISERICORDIA/APPEAL
 The stated conclusion is not TO PITY
necessarily a logical result to the  : appealing to a person's
facts presented unfortunate circumstance as a
 a statement or conclusion that way of getting someone to accept
does not follow logically from what a conclusion.
preceded it. Non sequiturs can be  someone tries to win support for
responses that have nothing to do an argument or idea by exploiting
with the conversation or flawed one's opponent's feelings of pity
conclusions “based” on what or guilt. It is a specific kind of
preceded them appeal to emotion.
“My dog is named Max, and he likes “"Please consider my request for an
to eat dog food. Therefore, everyone extension on the deadline; my
named Max likes to eat dog food.” grandmother just passed away, and
I'm struggling to cope with the loss."

12. SLIPPERY SLOPE

 Occurs when we assume one 15. BLACK OR WHITE/EITHER OR
action will initiate a chain of evets FALLACY
culminating in an undesirable  This type of fallacy argues that
event later one of two statements must be
 a course of action is rejected true even when neither may be
because, with little or no evidence, true. The fallacious argument is
one insists that it will lead to a limited to two choices (hence a
chain reaction resulting in an black or white fallacy), making
undesirable end or ends. one choice seem true when set
against the other.
““If I don't pass tomorrow's exam,
 This fallacy arises when we
this might affect my GPA, which in
illegitimately limit the number of
turn might impact my chances of
alternatives available.
going to a good college”
“You're either with us or against us."
"If you're not part of the solution,
13. FALSE ANALOGY
you're part of the problem."
 A fallacy of weak analogy occurs
when there exists a poor Do not re-sell this reviewer:)
connection between examples Original: NewEye-07_Yve Elle
 This is when someone thinks that
if two things are similar in one
way, they are similar in other
ways. The common notion of
comparing apples to oranges is an
allusion to the problems
associated with making false
analogies.
“Bananas and telephones are both
shaped to fit into human hands;
therefore, bananas were created for
humans alone.”
“Apples, strawberries, and
raspberries are all red. They are also
all fruits.”