Logical Fallacies

Front 1

Strawman

Back 1

Misrepresenting an argument to make it easier for attack.

Front 2

Slippery Slope

Back 2

Asserting that if we allow A to happen Z will naturally follow.

Front 3

Special Pleading

Back 3

Moving the goalposts to create exceptions when a claim is shown to be false.

Front 4

The Gambler's Fallacy

Back 4

Believing that "runs" occur to statistically independent phenomena

Front 5

Black-or-White

Back 5

Where two alternative states are presented as the only two possibilities when in fact there are many.

Front 6

Ad Hominem

Back 6

Attacking your opponents personal character or personal traits instead of engaging in the argument.

Front 7

Loaded Question

Back 7

Asking a question that has an assumption built into it so that it can't be answered with out appearing guilty.

Front 8

Bandwagon

Back 8

Appealing to popularity or the fact that many people do something as an attempted form of validation.

Front 9

Begging The Question

Back 9

A circular argument in which the conclusion is included in the premise.

Front 10

Appeal to Authority

Back 10

Using the opinion or position of an authority figure or institution of authority as an attempted form of validation.

Front 11

Appeal to Nature

Back 11

Making the argument that because something is natural it is somehow valid. justified, inevitable or ideal.

Front 12

Composition/Division

Back 12

Assuming that what is true about one part of something has to be applied to other parts or all of it.

Front 13

Anecdotal

Back 13

Using personal experience or an isolated example instead of a valid argument, especially to dismiss statistics.

Front 14

Tu Quoque

Back 14

Avoiding having to engage with criticism by turning it back on the accuser. Answering criticism with criticism.

Front 15

Burden of Proof

Back 15

Saying that the burden of proof lies not with the person making the claim but with someone else to disprove.

Front 16

No True Scotsman

Back 16

Making what could be called an attempt to purity as a way to dismiss relevant criticisms or flaws of an argument.

Front 17

The Texas Sharpshooter

Back 17

Cherry picking data clusters to suit an argument or finding a pattern to fit a presumption.

Front 18

The Fallacy Fallacy

Back 18

Presuming that because a claim has been poorly argued, or a fallacy has been made, that it is necessarily wrong.

Front 19

Personal Incredulity

Back 19

Saying that because one finds something difficult to understand that it is therefore not true.

Front 20

Ambiguity

Back 20

Using double meanings and ambiguities of language to mislead or misrepresent the truth.

Front 21

Genetic

Back 21

Judging something as good or bad on the basis of where it comes from. or from whom it comes.

Front 22

Middle Ground

Back 22

Saying that a compromise or middle point between two extremities is the truth.