LOGICAL
FALLACIES
EAPP - CRITICAL READING
Logical Fallacy
• Fallacies(plural) are common errors
in reasoning that will undermine the
logic of your argument.
• Can be illegitimate arguments or
irrelevant points, and are often
identified because they lack evidence
that supports their claim.
Common Types of
Logical Fallacies
Fallacy 1: Slippery Slope
• This is a conclusion based on the
premise that if A happens, then
eventually, B, C … Z will happen, too.
• Equating A and Z so if we don’t want
Z to occur, A must not be allowed to
happen.
Fallacy 1: Slippery Slope
“If we ban Hummers (car) because they are
bad for the environment, eventually the
government will ban all cars, so we should
not ban Hummers.”
Fallacy 1: Slippery Slope
“Voting for educated politicians such as
Chel Diokno will increase the corruption
since they can hide their tracks well enough
so maybe let us vote for movie actors like
Robin Padilla since most of them are
uneducated.”
Fallacy 2: Hasty Generalization
• This is a conclusion based
on insufficient or biased
evidence.
• Rushing to a conclusion
before you have all the
relevant facts.
Fallacy 2: Hasty Generalization
“Even though it’s only the first day, I can
tell this is going to be a boring subject.”
Fallacy 2: Hasty Generalization
“My friend has been eating only pancit
canton and hamburgers for 10 years. He
has no health problems so these foods are
not really bad for you.”
Fallacy 2: Hasty Generalization
“Alam ko mahal na nya ako!”
“Ay bakit, bhie?”
“Kasi lagi niya akong tine-text :’)”
Fallacy 3: Post hoc ergo propter hoc
• Conclusion that assumes that
if ‘A’ occurred after ‘B’, then
‘B’ must have caused ‘A’.
Fallacy 3: Post hoc ergo propter hoc
“The rooster crows always before the sun
rises, therefore the crowing rooster causes
the sun the rise.”
Fallacy 3: Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Fallacy 3: Post hoc ergo propter hoc
• Cellphone usage has increased exponentially in
the last 20 years.
• Researchers discovered that the incidences of
brain cancer have also increased in that time
• Therefore, cellphone usage must cause brain
cancer.
Fallacy 4: Genetic Fallacy
• This conclusion is based
on an argument that the
origins of a person, idea,
institution or theory
determine its character,
nature or worth.
Fallacy 4: Genetic Fallacy
“Volkswagen is an evil car because it was designed in
Germany and they support Hitler. “
Fallacy 4: Genetic Fallacy
Fallacy 5: Begging the Question
• Also called circular
argument. This reinstates
the argument rather than
actually proving it
Fallacy 5: Begging the Question
“Using logic is important because it’s important to use
logic.”
Fallacy 5: Begging the Question
Fallacy 5: Begging the Question
Fallacy 6: Ad Populum/ Bandwagon
• This is an appeal that
presents what most
people or a group of
people think, in order to
persuade one to think
the same way.
Fallacy 6: Ad Populum/ Bandwagon
“The sun rotates around the
earth because people have
known for hundreds of
years“
Fallacy 6: Ad Populum/ Bandwagon
“Gay marriage is an abomination!
70% of Russians think so!”
Fallacy 5: Ad Populum
Asch Conformity
Experiment
Fallacy 7: Ad Hominem
• This is an attack on
the character of a
person rather than
his or her opinions
and arguments.
Fallacy 7: Ad Hominem
Fallacy 7: Ad Hominem
Fallacy 7: Ad Hominem
Fallacy 8: Red Herring
• This is a diversionary
tactic that avoids
the key issues, often
by avoiding opposing
arguments rather
than addressing
them.
Fallacy 8: Red Herring
“The level of mercury in seafood may be unsafe,
but what will fishers do to support their
families?”
Fallacy 8: Red Herring
Mother: Kamusta exam nyo, anak?
Son: Grabe, ma! Ang hirap ng exam!
Mother: Ano score mo?
Son: Lahat kami nahirapan kahit yung top 1 namin!
Fallacy 8: Red Herring
Fallacy 9: Straw Man
• This move oversimplifies
an opponent’s viewpoint
and then attacks that
hollow argument.
Fallacy 9: Straw Man
Person 1: I think we should increase benefits for unemployed
single mothers during the first year after childbirth because
they need sufficient money to provide medical care for their
children.
Son: So you believe we should give incentives to women to
become single mothers and get a free ride from the tax
money of hard-working citizens?
Fallacy 9: Straw Man
Fallacy 10: Moral Equivalence
• This move involves
comparing minor
misdeeds with major
atrocities, suggesting
that both are equally
immoral or the other
way around.
Fallacy 10: Moral Equivalence
“Vaping is bad, but it isn’t as bad as smoking
tobacco.”
Fallacy 10: Moral Equivalence
“If John F. Kennedy got away with committing
adultery while in office as President, then Bill
Clinton and all subsequent presidents should be able
to do so.”
Fallacy 10: Moral Equivalence
References:
Saqueton, G. & Uychoco, M. (2016). English for Academic and Professional Purposes. Rex Book
Store.
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