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Logical Fallacies Reference Guide

This guide outlines common logical fallacies with definitions and examples for reference in writing and debate. It covers fallacies such as Ad Hominem, Bandwagon, and Circular Reasoning, among others. The document serves as a useful tool for analyzing arguments and avoiding flawed reasoning.

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charles.dean
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5 views2 pages

Logical Fallacies Reference Guide

This guide outlines common logical fallacies with definitions and examples for reference in writing and debate. It covers fallacies such as Ad Hominem, Bandwagon, and Circular Reasoning, among others. The document serves as a useful tool for analyzing arguments and avoiding flawed reasoning.

Uploaded by

charles.dean
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Logical Fallacies – Quick Reference Guide

This guide provides clear definitions and examples of common logical fallacies. Use it as a reference
when writing, debating, or analyzing arguments.

Begging the Question


Definition: Assuming what you are trying to prove.
Example: “Cheating is wrong because it’s immoral.”

Ad Hominem
Definition: Attacking the person making the argument instead of the argument itself.
Example: “Don’t listen to her opinion on school policy—she failed math last year.”

Bandwagon
Definition: Arguing something is true because many people believe it.
Example: “Everyone agrees this movie is amazing, so it must be true.”

Appeal to Authority
Definition: Relying on a famous or powerful figure instead of evidence.
Example: “A famous actor said this diet works, so it must be healthy.”

Straw Man
Definition: Misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack.
Example: “You want less homework? So you basically want students to learn nothing.”

Circular Reasoning
Definition: Using the conclusion as part of the reasoning.
Example: “This rule is fair because it’s the right rule to have.”

Appeal to Emotion
Definition: Using emotions instead of facts to persuade.
Example: “If you don’t support this fundraiser, you don’t care about sick children.”

Hasty Generalization
Definition: Making a broad claim based on insufficient evidence.
Example: “I met two rude gamers online, so all gamers are toxic.”

Slippery Slope
Definition: Claiming one small step will lead to extreme or unrealistic outcomes.
Example: “If we allow phones at lunch, soon students will use them in class, then no one will learn.”

Red Herring
Definition: Introducing irrelevant information to distract from the issue.
Example: “Why talk about test scores when the cafeteria food is terrible?”

Post Hoc
Definition: Assuming that because one event followed another, it was caused by it.
Example: “I wore my lucky socks and we won the game, so the socks caused the win.”

False Dichotomy
Definition: Presenting only two options when more exist.
Example: “Either you support this rule, or you don’t care about student safety.”

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