Logical Fallacies

A logical fallacy is a flaw in the chain of reasoning that leads to a conclusion which does not necessarily follow from the premises or evidence.

Erroneous Appeal to Authority

An erroneous authority is an author who claims to be an expert in a given subject, but is not or someone who is cited as authority but is not.
example: Superman says that flying is the safest form of transportation, but he's not an expert in transportation.

Ad Hominem ("to the person")

An argument which focuses on the person making a claim instead of the claim itself
example: You don't know anything about money because you're child.

Shifting the Issue

An author draws attention away from the issue instead of offering evidence that will enable people to draw their own conclusions about the soundness of an argument.
example: You say I have anger problems, but I'm actually really good with budgeting.

Either/Or Fallacy

An author will take two extremes and force readers to make a choice between seemingly contradictory positions although in reality one position does not exclude the other.
example: If you're not a democrat, you must be a republican.

Sweeping Generalizations

An author attempts to draw a conclusion without providing sufficient evidence to support the conclusion or without examining possible counterarguments.
example: All African American children come from broken homes.

Bandwagon

An author urges readers to accept idea because a significant number of people support it.
example: Everyone has sex before marriage so it must be morally acceptable.

Begging the Question

The advancing of a circular argument that asks readers to accept a premise that is also the conclusion readers are expected to draw.
example: The bible is true because the scripture says it is.

False Analogy

Authors try to persuade that something is true by using a comparison.
example: Life is like a box of chocolates. Chocolate is sweet so life must be sweet.

Technical Jargon

Author uses big words and asserts something without providing evidence that premises are true.
example: Dihydrogen monoxide will kill you if you inhale it.

Confusing Cause and Effect

States a fact, but does not prove the premise caused the conclusion.
example: The sun set before it rained, therefore sunsets cause rain.

Appeal to Fear

Uses fears and prejudices so that the listener reasons with emotion instead of rational thought.
example: The terrorists used guns to take control, therefore no one is allowed to have guns.

Fallacy of Division

What is true of the whole must be true of its parts.
example: Obama won the presidential election, so America must be all democratic.

Hasty Generalization

When a person draws a conclusion about a group based on a sample that is too small to be representative.
example: All pastors commit adultery because my pastor did.

The Straw Man Argument

Makes a generalization about what a group believes without actually citing a specific writer or work.
example: He hates rape victims because he is pro-life in all circumstances.

Fallacy of the Middle Ground

Assumes that the middle position between two extreme positions must be correct.
example: Bob wants two kids and Mary wants one kid, therefore Bob and Mary must have 1.5 kids.


P.S. I really enjoy how you put characters from Harry Potter as the fake students for example essays, etc. :)