15 Fallacies

Argumentum ad Baculum

"Argument to club." The arguer uses threats or fear to bolster his position.

False Cause

results from observation two events and concluding that there is a casual link between them when there is no such link. Often we commit this fallacy because we do not attempt to find all evidence proving or disproving the casual connection.

Bandwagon Fallacy

states that we should or shouldn't do something merely because one or more other people or firms do or do not do it. Is a fallacy because probably not everyone is doing it, and even if many or all people do something, its not necessarily right

Argument from authority

rely on the quality of an expert or person in a position of authority, not the quality of the expert's or authority's argument.

Argumentum ad populum

Argument to the people; emotional appeal to popular beliefs, values, or wants. The fallacy is that merely because many or all people believe something does not mean its true

False Analogies

Essentially argues that since something is like something else in one or more ways. Arguers often use analogies to make a point vividly, and therefor analogies have a strong appeal

Appeals to Pity

Generates support for a proposition by focusing on a victim's predicament. effective because humans are compassionate

fallacy

Identify when an argument and thinking may be flawed and how to correct them

Appeals to Tradition

Infer that because something has been done a certain way in the past, it should be done the same way in the future.

The Lure of the New

Opposite of appeals to tradition is the lure of the new, the idea that we should do or buy something merely because it is "just released" or "improved".

Gambler's Fallacy

Results from the mistaken belief that independent prior outcomes affect future outcomes.

Non Sequiturs

a conclusion that does not follow from the facts or premises one sets out. The speaker is missing the point or coming to an irrelevant conclusion

Begging the Question

an arguer begs the question when she takes for granted or assumes the thing that she is setting out to prove. Usually hidden in the question ex: we should tell the truth because lying is wrong.

argumentum ad hominem

argument to the man; this tactic attacks the speaker, not his reasoning. ex: last year you argued for something different

sunk cost fallacy

attempt to recover invested time, money, and other resources. Sometimes expressed as "throwing good money after bad"

reductio ad absurdum

carries an argument to its logical end, without considering whether it is an inevitable or probable result