Type of Fallacy:
Bandwagon approach
Red herring
Either/or fallacy
Begging the question
Non-sequiter
Post hoc fallacy
Snob appeal
Sweeping generalization
False authority
Reductive fallacy
Definition:
Appeals to the audience’s desire to be included as part of the group.
Introduces irrelevant information as a way of distracting its audience from the real issue.
Creates a false alternative or reduces a complicated situation to two alternatives.
Treats a topic that is open to question as though it’s already been proved or disproved.
Means “it does not follow,” or draws a conclusion from irrelevant evidence.
Assumes that a caused b since a preceded b .
Example:
As everyone already knows, Macs are better computers than
PCs.
The needs of the current students must be met, and janitors are extremely underpaid in our schools, despite the hard work they do.
Either the coin will land on heads and Texas will win the kick off, or the Aggies will win the toss and lose the game.
We could learn more about literature if Ms. Caro stopped assigning so many writing assignments.
My favorite ice cream joint is Amy’s Ice Cream, and Emily’s favorite ice cream place is Baskin Robbins, but that’s because she is a Republican.
As soon as I kicked the coke machine, the electricity went out, so kicking the coke machine caused the lights to go off.
Appeals to the audience’s wish to be like those who are rich, famous, or intelligent.
Asserts an opinion, a misconception, or what is sometimes true as applying in all situations.
Twitter is a useful tool in our society; many celebrities
“tweet” about contemporary events.
Democrats are lazy.
Cites as expert opinion the views of someone who is not an expert.
The lady who does my nails told me I should invest in renewable energy because it’s going to be a growing business in the next decade.
Oversimplifies cause and effect relationships.
Violent video games cause people to commit violent acts.
Argument ad populum Appeals to the general values of a “people” or culture.
Flattery
False analogy
Appeals to the audience’s intelligence, appearance, or taste as a means of persuasion.
Exaggerates the similarities between two similar things or ignores key differences.
Appeals to reader’s fear or pity Elicits an emotional, but not necessarily logical, response from the audience.
Argument ad hominem Attacks the “man” rather than his or her argument.
Flag-burning should be outlawed because this act is a slap in the face to those who have fought and died for our country.
You work hard, so don’t you deserve an allergy medication that works as hard as you do?
The prejudices against allowing homosexuals to marry in the
Catholic Church are comparable to the prejudices and atrocities that Hitler and the Nazis showed toward the Jews.
If you don’t vote for Bob Pederson, then your neighborhood will be overrun with violent gangs.
We should not listen to Father Piper’s moral advice because when he was a teenager, he was an atheist.

Type of Fallacy: Definition:
Introduces irrelevant information as a way of distracting its audience from the real issue.
Example:
As everyone already knows, Macs are better computers than
PCs.
Either/or fallacy
Treats a topic that is open to question as though it’s already been proved or disproved.
We could learn more about literature if Ms. Caro stopped assigning so many writing assignments.
My favorite ice cream joint is Amy’s Ice Cream, and Emily’s favorite ice cream place is Baskin Robbins, but that’s because she is a Republican.
Assumes that a caused b since a preceded b .
Snob appeal
Asserts an opinion, a misconception, or what is sometimes true as applying in all situations.
False authority
Appeals to reader’s fear or pity
Exaggerates the similarities between two similar things or ignores key differences.
Argument ad hominem
Violent video games cause people to commit violent acts.
Flag-burning should be outlawed because this act is a slap in the face to those who have fought and died for our country.
You work hard, so don’t you deserve an allergy medication that works as hard as you do?
The prejudices against allowing homosexuals to marry in the
Catholic Church are comparable to the prejudices and atrocities that Hitler and the Nazis showed toward the Jews.
We should not listen to Father Piper’s moral advice because when he was a teenager, he was an atheist.