Logical Fallacies
or
How to be a sophisticated liar
and get away with it.
(Satire)
[Satire]
"No one has proven that Bigfoot exists by
concrete evidence; thus, he does not exist.“
There is no evidence to prove that Global
Warming is caused by humans; therefore, it
doesn’t exist.”
See:
http://www.fallacyfiles.org/ignorant.html
Ad Ignorantium
Drawing a conclusion on the Basis
of Ignorance; the absence of
evidence proves only the absence of
evidence.
“No one has proven that the Loch
Ness Monster doesn't exist, so it
does.”
"Millions of Americans have cast
their votes at the box office.
Semi-Pro is clearly the best
movie of the year!
A million ‘thumbs up!’"
Bandwagon
Jump on board. Everyone else
believes it, so you should too. The
“popularity” fallacy.
“Everyone in the cul-de-sac but us
has seal-coated their driveways.
We’d better start getting estimates."
“The Internet should not be used in
the classroom because Senator
Barrack Obama’s study on Internet
Dependency proves that overusing
computers leads to computeraddiction.”
Appeal to Authority
Expert sources are not always
experts in the subject they are
speaking to.
“According to Clay Aiken, troops
should not be deployed in Iraq.”
“If students fail to pass the new
standardized tests, employers will
refuse to hire them, and before
you know it, our nation’s streets
will be filled with angry,
unemployed youth.”
Appeal to Fear
(Scare tactics)
Implies or states a threat to the
audience; usually identified by
blatant exaggeration.
“If you vote for me, you won’t
have to worry about the safety of
your children. Unlike my
opponent, I am tough on
criminals.”
“If I don't pass this course, I'll miss
the Dean’s List and my folks will
kick me out of the house.”
Appeal to Pity
Attempts to win sympathy by
overstating pathetic emotion; shifts
responsibility to those who shouldn’t
have it.
“Don’t blame me for robbing
convenience stores. It’s society’s
fault. Or my parents’. Whatever.”
“Naming a sports team the
Chiefs is no more offensive than
naming a team the Senators, as
in Ottawa’s hockey team. You
don't see any senators being
offended, do you?”
False Analogy
Compares two or more things that
are not naturally similar, but
suggests that they share certain
characteristics
“Alcoholism is like acne; the right
treatment makes them both go
away.”
"We are told that to discriminate
against people is bad, but if we
don't discriminate between good
and bad singers, we’ll all end up
liking Celine Dionne.”
Equivocation
Shifts the meaning of a term within a
single argument.
“No one can doubt that miracles
reported in the Bible actually
happened. Miracles are still part of
our lives. Just look around, and you'll
see the miracles of modern science,
such as cell phones and I-Pods.”
“No wonder your alternator went
out on your car this morning.
Dang it, Wally, I told you to
forward that chain email.”
“As soon as Clinton entered
office, the economy improved.”
False Cause
(Coincidence)
Claims a false cause/effect
relationship based purely on time.
“As soon as Bush entered office, the
economy improved."
"If you believe in gun control,
then you obviously don't believe
in protecting your children from
violence."
“Either you’re with us or you’re
against us.”
False Dilemma
(Either/Or Choice)
Presents only two alternatives; oversimplifies reality.
“Either you eat your meat, or you
can't have any pudding. How can
you have any pudding if you don't
eat your meat?”
“Yesterday I saw a woman back
her mini-van into a parking meter
which proves that suburban
women can't drive.”
Hasty Generalization
Generalizes from a sample too small
or unrepresentative of the targeted
group. Often creates stereotypes.”
“A guy stumbled down the street
during the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
He must be Irish."
“The bleeding heart
Massachusetts Liberals want to
babysit unmotivated people with
all their special programs, but
that isn't the government's job.”
Straw Man
Creates and then attacks a distorted
version of the opponent's argument.
“Environmentalists don’t care about
animals; all they care about is
putting loggers out of business.”
“Your stance on the predatorcontrol clearly shows that you
favor Anarchism over protecting
little children from coyotes, and I
don’t think we need Anarchists
making public policy.”
Personal Attack
Attacks the person arguing rather
than the argument itself.
“The fact that the judge didn't vote
to uphold the First Amendment
proves that he is a Neo-Conservative
activist.”
“Every law-abiding citizen
agrees that Minnesota ought to
pass a seat belt law.”
Poisoning the Well
Sneakily implies an intimidating
assertion that will discourage open
discussion.
“Reasonable people agree that
instituting random search and
seizures are necessary to prevent
terrorism.”
And finally:
“Putting metal detectors in
Minnesota high schools is the
first step toward a state of
Martial Law.”
Slippery Slope
Claims an action should be avoided
because it will lead to a domino
effect of negative results.
“Censoring the Internet will lead to
the complete abolishment of the First
Amendment . . . oh yeah, and to a
state of Martial Law!”