Logical Fallacies

Question 1

What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence

Answer 1

Hitchens’ Razor

See also:
Appeal to Ignorance or
argumentum ad ignorantiam

Question 2

Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by ignorance

Answer 2

Hanlon’s Razor

Question 3

If the cause is not sufficient to produce the effect, then you must reject that cause or add qualities that contribute to the effect.

Answer 3

Hume’s Razor

Question 4

• More details
• Fewer assumptions
• More testable/observable
• Greater predictive power

Answer 4

Explanatory Power

converse Explanatory Impotence

Question 5

• Difficult to understand or parse through

- Concealed, hidden, secret

Answer 5

Abstruse

Question 6

Rejecting or criticizing a person’s logical argument on the basis of personality, background, physical appearance, or other features irrelevant to the argument at issue

Answer 6

Ad hominem

Question 7

Moving from a seemingly benign premise or starting point and working through a number of small steps to an improbable extreme

Answer 7

Slippery Slope Fallacy

Question 8

Distracting from the argument, typically with an emotional sentiment that isn’t really on-topic but feels equally important

Answer 8

Red-Herring Fallacy

See also:
Non-Sequiter

Question 9

Focusing on the other person’s hypocrisy as a diversionary tactic

Answer 9

Tu Quoqe Fallacy

See also:
You Too Fallacy or
appeal to hypocrisy

Question 10

Setting up and debating an altered (weakened or exaggerated to absurdity) argument in place of the other person’s actual argument

Answer 10

Straw Man Fallacy

Question 11

Deliberately failing to define one’s terms or feelings in an effort to avoid committing to one side or another of a debate

Answer 11

Equivocation

Question 12

• Arguing that the majority of people believe something without evidence
• Arguing that because the majority of people think or believe something, it must be true

Answer 12

Bandwagon Fallacy

Argumentum ad Populum

Question 13

Assuming everyone is shares the same (mostly honorable) motivations and desires

Assuming everyone is “just like me”

Answer 13

Projection Bias
Pollyanna Principle
(opposite of Othering)

Question 14

Attacking someone’s argument by attacking their right to have an opinion because they are too different

Answer 14

Othering

• xenophobia
• stereotyping
• prejudice
• racism
• discrimination

Question 15

Falsely offering only two options when alternatives and variations exist

Answer 15

False Dilemma

False Dichotomy

Black/White

Either/Or