Logical Fallacies
Psychological Concepts
Logical Fallacies
Logical fallacies are flawed arguments that are not always blatantly obvious. These fallacies are important to recognize because they are misleading and are frequently used especially in areas like politics. There are tons of logical fallacies but here are a few of the more common ones you should be aware of:
1
Ad HominemAttacking the other party's character instead of their argument.
2
Red HerringIntroducing an irrelevant point in order to shift the argument. Redirecting an argument on to a different, but most likely related, point.
3
Straw ManDistorting the other party's position into an extreme version and acting like it's their position.
4
EquivocationBeing intentionally confusing or unclear.
5
AmbiguityBeing intentionally ambiguous to misrepresent the truth.
6
Slippery SlopeAssuming that one action will lead to a chain of events with no real evidence that it will.
7
Hasty GeneralizationComing to a conclusion with little information.
8
Appeal to AuthorityUsing an authority to back one's claim when the authority doesn't have expertise in that area.
9
False DilemmaClaiming only two (extreme) outcomes.
10
Bandwagon FallacyUsing popularity as an indicator for something being good, right, or correct.
11
Appeal to IgnoranceSaying something has to be true because it hasn't been proven to be false.
12
Burden of ProofSaying a claim has to be true unless the other party proves it false. This is different from the previous fallacy because it puts the responsibility of disproving a statement specifically on the other party rather than the cumulative data on the subject.
13
Circular ArgumentAn argument that tries to prove itself by using its conclusion as evidence.
14
Begging the QuestionAssuming the truth of a conclusion without supporting the claim.
15
Sunk Cost FallacyUsing already spent time, energy, or money as an argument to continue to do so.
16
Appeal to PityTrying to elicit pity from the other party or make the other party feel bad for them rather than addressing the argument.
17
Causal Fallacy (False Cause)Claiming a causal relationship, one in which A always leads to B, that isn't proven. Correlation does not causation make.
18
Fallacy FallacyAssuming that because a fallacy has been made in an argument or that an argument has been poorly made means the claim of the argument is wrong.
19
Tu QuoquoAnswering the opposition's criticisms by criticizing them back.
20
Personal IncredulityJudging that something being difficult to understand makes it less likely to be true.
21
Special PleadingCreating new criteria in order for a claim to be proven false after the old criteria was proven false. Changing criteria for an argument to be false when disproven.
22
Loaded QuestionMaking an assumption and then asking a question presupposing that the assumption is already true.
23
Gambler's FallacyAssuming that an event is more or less likely to happen after another unrelated event or events occur. Falsely assuming statistics to random unrelated events.
24
Fallacy of CompositionAssuming that parts of something must have the same properties of the whole. For example, saying that because a house is built of wood, everything in it has to be built from wood (such as the fireplace).
25
No True Scotsman (Appeal to Purity)An argument that all people of a particular group have the same traits thus dismissing variations of people within that group.
26
Appeal to NatureSaying that because something is "natural" it must therefore be good, right, ideal, justifiable, or inevitable. For example war or killing is natural but does that make it good or justifiable?
27
The Texas SharpshooterCherry picking evidence to support a claim.
28
Middle GroundClaiming that a compromise between two extremes must be true, right, or ideal.
29
Anecdotal FallacyUsing personal experience or an isolated example instead of a valid argument, especially to dismiss statistics or broader evidence.
30
Appeal to TraditionArguing that something is correct or better simply because it has been done that way for a long time.
31
Appeal to NoveltyArguing that something is better or correct simply because it is new or modern.
32
Moving the GoalpostsContinuously changing the criteria for acceptance after the original criteria have been met, making it impossible to ever satisfy the argument.
33
WhataboutismResponding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counter-accusation or raising a different issue, rather than addressing the original point.
34
False EquivalenceTreating two things as if they are equal when they are significantly different in relevant ways, often to draw a misleading comparison.
Why This Matters
This concept matters because logical fallacies come as a result of internal psychology. If you notice yourself using them, that indicates that there is healing to do. Added bonus: It helps you recognize when other people are arguing in a way that is logically flawed.