Common Fallacies

Question 0

Ad Misericordiam

Answer 0

Distracting for the real issue by making an emotional appeal (pathos)

Question 1

Ad Hominem

Answer 1

An attack on the character of the individual or the opponent rather than his or her actual arguments or qualifications

Question 2

Ad Populum

Answer 2

An emotional appeal to positive concepts or negative concepts rather than a direct discussion or the real issue

Question 3

Appeal to ignorance

Answer 3

Attempts to use an opponents inability to disprove a conclusion as proof of the validity of the conclusion “you can’t prove I’m wrong so I must be right”

Question 4

Bandwagon (ad Populum)

Answer 4

Refers to popular opinion or majority of sentiment in order to provide support for a claim. Often the common man or common sense provides the basis for the claim

Question 5

Begging the question

Answer 5

Loading the conclusion in the claim; assuming that something is true before it is proved

Question 6

Circular argument

Answer 6

A sentence or argument that restates rather than proves

Question 7

Dicto simplicitier (generalization)

Answer 7

Assumes that what is true of the whole will also be true of the part, or that what is true in most instances will be true in all instances

Question 8

False dilemma

Answer 8

An oversimplification that reduces alternatives to only two choices, thereby creating a false dilemma

Question 9

Faulty comparison/false analogy

Answer 9

Basing an argument on a simplistic compassion of two things, ideas, events or situations

Question 10

Genetic fallacy

Answer 10

Arguing that the origins of a person, object, or institution determines it’s worth

Question 11

Hasty generalization

Answer 11

Conclusion is not justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence

Question 12

Poisoning the well

Answer 12

This sort of “reasoning” involves trying to discredit what a person might later claim by presenting unfavorable information (be it true or false) about the person

Question 13

Post hoc (propter hoc)

Answer 13

Arguing that because event B occurred after event A, event A caused event B

Question 14

Red herring

Answer 14

Avoiding countering an opposing argument directly by introducing a non issue to the argument

Question 15

Slippery slope

Answer 15

Suggests that if one step or action is taken it will invariably lead to similar steps or actions, that end results of which are negative or undesirable. A slippery slope always assumes a chain reaction of cause-effect events which result in some eventual fire outcome”

Question 16

Straw man

Answer 16

Setting up an artificially easy argument to refute in place of real issue