Types of Fallacies
Logical Fallacy
Description
Example
Red Herring
(Fallacy of
Relevance)
The speaker skips to a new and
irrelevant topic in order to avoid the
topic of discussion.
“We can debate these regulations
until the cows come home, but what
the American people want to know is,
when are we going to end this
partisan bickering?”
ad hominem
Fallacy
(Fallacy of
Relevance)
A type of red herring where the topic
is switched from a particular topic to
the character of the other speaker.
Latin for “against the man.”
“Well, it’s pretty obvious that your
political party doesn’t know how to
be fiscally responsible, so I
wouldn’t expect you to, either.”
Faulty Analogy
(Fallacy of
Relevance)
Straw Man Fallacy
(Fallacy of
Accuracy)
A fallacy of irrelevance where two
things are compared without an
appropriate basis.
A speaker chooses a deliberately poor
or oversimplified example in order to
ridicule and refute the opponent’s
point.
False Dilemma
(Fallacy of
Accuracy)
Hasty
Generalization
(Fallacy of
Insufficiency)
Circular Reasoning
(Fallacy of
Insufficiency)
Post hoc ergo
propter hoc
(Fallacy of
Accuracy)
The speaker presents two extreme
positions as the only possible options
when others, in fact, exist.
A claim is made without sufficient
evidence to prove it.
“We put animals who are in
irreversible pain out of their misery, so
we should do the same for people.”
"Senator Jones says that we should
not fund the attack submarine
program. I disagree entirely. I can't
understand why he wants to leave us
defenseless like that."
“Either we agree to higher taxes, or
our grandchildren will be mired in
debt.”
“Smoking isn’t bad for you! My
grandfather smoked a pack a day and
lived to be 90!”
Appeal to False
Authority
(Fallacy of
Relevance)
ad populum fallacy
(Bandwagon
Appeal)
(Fallacy of
Relevance)
A claim is repeated as a way to
provide evidence.
“You can’t give me a C! I’m an A
student!”
Latin for “after which, therefore
because of which.” Makes a fallacious
connection between effects and
antecedents. In other words, suggests
correlation implies causation.
When someone with no expertise to
speak on an issue is cited as an
authority.
“We elected Johnson as president,
and look what it got us: hurricanes,
floods, stock market crashes.”
Evidence essentially boils down to
“everyone is doing it, so it must be a
good idea.”
“You should vote for Donald Trump—
he has a strong lead in the polls.”
“Dr. McBride diagnosed this birthmark
as the flesh-eating bacteria! To the
hospital!”