Logical Fallacies List #1

Question 0

Assuming that because B comes after A, A caused B. Sometimes two events that seem related in time aren’t really related as cause and event. That is, correlation isn’t the same thing as causation.

Answer 0

Post Hoc (False Cause)

Question 1

Partway through an argument, the arguer goes off on a tangent, raising a side issue that distracts the audience from what’s really at stake. Often, the arguer never returns to the original issue.

Answer 1

Red Herring

Question 2

A mode of argumentation that seeks to establish a contention by deriving an absurdity from its denial, thus arguing that a thesis must be accepted because its rejection would be untenable. In other words, this mode of argument shows that your opponent’s argument leads to an absurd conclusion.

Answer 2

Reductio ad absurdum

Question 3

In formal logic, an argument in which its conclusion does not follow its premise.
Ex: I hear the rain falling outside my window; therefore, the sun is not shining.

Answer 3

Non Sequitur

Question 4

Circular logic or circular reasoning.

Ex: This painting is trash because it’s obviously worthless.

Answer 4

Begging the Question