What are logical fallacies?
Logical fallacies are invalid arguments, usually made in politics, sales, etc., to make a point, but in reality they discredit the person’s opinion because of the lack of basis and facts in the argument made. To be able to recognize a logical fallacy, and avoid making one, when debating, you must know and understand the different forms that logical fallacies come in.
There are hundreds of types of logical fallacies, however, these are the most commonly used ones.
Circular Reasoning
Circular reasoning is when an argument is restated rather than proven. For example:
“Facebook is very frequently used because a lot of people use it”.
This is rhetorical and has no basis, no real reasoning of why Facebook is frequently used has been provided, instead, it is a loop that circles back to the fact that a lot of people use Facebook, but does not actually state why.
Hasty Generalization
Hasty generalization is similar to stereotyping, it is when someone makes a judgement based on just one piece of information, rather than looking at all the facts. For example, if you visit a town for the first time and all you see are women, you might think that only women live in this town and that there are no men at all, when in reality, you might have visited a place in town where most women hang out, or maybe there were a few men but you just did not notice, and the fact that you did not visit the whole town discredits the argument that no men live there.
Slippery Slope
The slippery slope fallacy is when someone makes a conclusion that a great series of events will occur based on one action. For example, “if you do not study well for your SAT, you will not get a good score, if you do not get a good score, you will not get into a good university, if you do not get into a good university, you will not get a good job, if you do not get a good job, you will end up in the streets”. In this statement, the person concludes that simply because someone is not studying very hard for their SAT, this will definitely lead to the person being homeless, which is not a logical argument because there are many factors that can contribute to either this outcome, or another one, that were not considered.
Strawman/ Straw Figure
The strawman, or straw figure, fallacy is when someone ignores the actual argument being made, and focuses on attacking a weak point in the statement and exaggerating it. For example:
Girl 1: “I think you are being mean to the new girl in our class, you should treat her nicely”
Girl 2: “I can’t believe you are favoring the new girl over your best friend!”
This is an example of the straw figure fallacy, where Girl 2 overlooks the statement made by Girl 1 that she should be nicer to the new girl, and misinterprets it that she is choosing the new girl over her.
Ad Hominem
Ad hominem is when someone undermines the argument made by attacking the person’s character rather than addressing the point being made. For example, a teacher telling a parent that her son is not doing well at school, the parent replies that it’s because the teacher graduated from a community college and, therefore, is a bad teacher.
False Dichotomy/ Dilemma
False dichotomy, or false dilemma, is when someone only presents two options, even though there are multiple other options not being mentioned. For example: “You can either be with or against abortion”. This gives the illusion that you can only choose black or white, when there is a lot of grey area in between, you can be against abortion except under some circumstances or vice versa, there is never only two solid opinions on a matter.
Bandwagon Appeal
The bandwagon appeal is when an argument is validated simply because “everyone is doing so”. For example, stating that Nissan cars are the best because everyone is buying them. This is invalid because there could be multiple reasons why everyone is buying Nissan cars, but that does not mean it is the best car just because everyone else is buying it.
Appeal to Authority
Appeal to authority is when the facts backing up an argument are not credible. For example, someone buying a certain beauty product because their favorite celebrity said it prevents wrinkles. This is a logical fallacy because there is no medical evidence that this certain product prevents wrinkles, and this celebrity is not a doctor, therefore, her statement is invalid.
Alphabet Soup
The alphabet soup is when someone uses big, complicated words during a debate in order to appear more knowledgeable. While having a large vocabulary is a positive thing, it is usually misleading during a debate to use big words because the simpler you make your argument, the easier it will be for people to understand it.
Red Herring
The red herring fallacy is when someone avoids addressing the actual topic and instead talks around it without actually tackling it. For example:
Mom: “What grade did you get this year?”
Son: “I did my best and I got good grades,”
Mom: “But what was your GPA?”
Son: “It was good despite how hard exams were this year”
Son: “I understand, but what was your average grade?”
In this example, the son is trying to give a relevant answer without directly answering the question his mother is asking. This is a clear example of the red herring fallacy.
Fallacy Fallacy
Last but not least, the fallacy fallacy means that because someone used a logical fallacy does not necessarily mean that the argument is incorrect. For example, in the previous example about the bandwagon fallacy, stating that Nissan cars are the best because everyone is buying them is incorrect, however, Nissan could generally be one of the best cars to buy because of its models, it’s price range, and many other reasons that could explain why it is one of the best cars to buy. So, even though it was a fallacy, it could still have some validity to it.
Your Guide to Never Fall Into the Trap of Logical Fallacies
Your Guide to Never Fall Into the Trap of Logical Fallacies
In order to never fall into the trap of logical fallacies you must be able to identify them. Click here to learn how to recognize and avoid them.
What are logical fallacies?Logical fallacies are invalid arguments, usually made in politics, sales, etc., to make a point, but in reality they discredit the person’s opinion because of the lack of basis and facts in the argument made. To be able to recognize a logical fallacy, and avoid making one, when debating, you must know and understand the different forms that logical fallacies come in. There are hundreds of types of logical fallacies, however, these are the most commonly used ones. Circular ReasoningCircular reasoning is when an argument is restated rather than proven. For example: “Facebook is very frequently used because a lot of people use it”. This is rhetorical and has no basis, no real reasoning of why Facebook is frequently used has been provided, instead, it is a loop that circles back to the fact that a lot of people use Facebook, but does not actually state why. Hasty Generalization Hasty generalization is similar to stereotyping, it is when someone makes a judgement based on just one piece of information, rather than looking at all the facts. For example, if you visit a town for the first time and all you see are women, you might think that only women live in this town and that there are no men at all, when in reality, you might have visited a place in town where most women hang out, or maybe there were a few men but you just did not notice, and the fact that you did not visit the whole town discredits the argument that no men live there. Slippery Slope The slippery slope fallacy is when someone makes a conclusion that a great series of events will occur based on one action. For example, “if you do not study well for your SAT, you will not get a good score, if you do not get a good score, you will not get into a good university, if you do not get into a good university, you will not get a good job, if you do not get a good job, you will end up in the streets”. In this statement, the person concludes that simply because someone is not studying very hard for their SAT, this will definitely lead to the person being homeless, which is not a logical argument because there are many factors that can contribute to either this outcome, or another one, that were not considered. Strawman/ Straw FigureThe strawman, or straw figure, fallacy is when someone ignores the actual argument being made, and focuses on attacking a weak point in the statement and exaggerating it. For example: Girl 1: “I think you are being mean to the new girl in our class, you should treat her nicely” Girl 2: “I can’t believe you are favoring the new girl over your best friend!”This is an example of the straw figure fallacy, where Girl 2 overlooks the statement made by Girl 1 that she should be nicer to the new girl, and misinterprets it that she is choosing the new girl over her. Ad Hominem Ad hominem is when someone undermines the argument made by attacking the person’s character rather than addressing the point being made. For example, a teacher telling a parent that her son is not doing well at school, the parent replies that it’s because the teacher graduated from a community college and, therefore, is a bad teacher. False Dichotomy/ Dilemma False dichotomy, or false dilemma, is when someone only presents two options, even though there are multiple other options not being mentioned. For example: “You can either be with or against abortion”. This gives the illusion that you can only choose black or white, when there is a lot of grey area in between, you can be against abortion except under some circumstances or vice versa, there is never only two solid opinions on a matter. Bandwagon Appeal The bandwagon appeal is when an argument is validated simply because “everyone is doing so”. For example, stating that Nissan cars are the best because everyone is buying them. This is invalid because there could be multiple reasons why everyone is buying Nissan cars, but that does not mean it is the best car just because everyone else is buying it. Appeal to Authority Appeal to authority is when the facts backing up an argument are not credible. For example, someone buying a certain beauty product because their favorite celebrity said it prevents wrinkles. This is a logical fallacy because there is no medical evidence that this certain product prevents wrinkles, and this celebrity is not a doctor, therefore, her statement is invalid. Alphabet SoupThe alphabet soup is when someone uses big, complicated words during a debate in order to appear more knowledgeable. While having a large vocabulary is a positive thing, it is usually misleading during a debate to use big words because the simpler you make your argument, the easier it will be for people to understand it. Red Herring The red herring fallacy is when someone avoids addressing the actual topic and instead talks around it without actually tackling it. For example:Mom: “What grade did you get this year?”Son: “I did my best and I got good grades,”Mom: “But what was your GPA?” Son: “It was good despite how hard exams were this year” Son: “I understand, but what was your average grade?”In this example, the son is trying to give a relevant answer without directly answering the question his mother is asking. This is a clear example of the red herring fallacy. Fallacy Fallacy Last but not least, the fallacy fallacy means that because someone used a logical fallacy does not necessarily mean that the argument is incorrect. For example, in the previous example about the bandwagon fallacy, stating that Nissan cars are the best because everyone is buying them is incorrect, however, Nissan could generally be one of the best cars to buy because of its models, it’s price range, and many other reasons that could explain why it is one of the best cars to buy. So, even though it was a fallacy, it could still have some validity to it.
