Common Fallacies

COMMON FALLACIES

Fallacies of Relevance

1. genetic fallacy

2. abusive ad hominem -- all ad hominem arguments are species of the genetic fallacy

3. circumstantial ad hominem -- charge of personal bias

4. tu quoque ad hominem -- usually a charge of hypocrisy, but also can be a species of “two wrongs make a right”

5. two wrongs make a right

6. poisoning the well

7. aesthetic fallacy -- argument “from the gut”

8. appeal to authority (ad verecundiam)

9. appeal to force (ad baculum)

10. appeal to ignorance (ad ignorantiam)

11. appeal to pity (ad misericordiam)

12. appeal to popularity (ad populum)

13. appeal to fear (ad metum)

14. argument from repetition (ad nauseum)

15. begging the question (petitio principii) – always valid, possibly sound, but worthless

16. complex question -- leading question; a species of begging the question

17. false analogy

18. fallacy of biased sample -- nonrandom sample

19. hasty generalization -- fallacy of small sample

20. sweeping generalization -- fallacy of accident

21. fallacy of false cause (post hoc, ergo propter hoc)

22. gambler’s fallacy

23. false dilemma -- bifurcation, either/or fallacy

24. slippery slope fallacy -- can be classified under “Ambiguity and Vagueness”

25. special pleading -- double standard, exception without justification

26. straw man

27. irrelevant conclusion (ignoratio elenchi) -- also known as “red herring,” used when specific named fallacy such as ad hominem is not involved

Fallacies of Ambiguity and Vagueness

28. fallacy of equivocation

29. fallacy of accent

30. fallacy of amphiboly

31. fallacy of vagueness

32. fallacy of composition

33. fallacy of division

Formal Fallacies

34. fallacy of affirming the consequent

35. fallacy of denying the antecedent

36. fallacy of conversion

Quick link on fallacies: Wikipedia List of Fallacies