What are logical fallacies?
“Fallacies are fake or deceptive arguments, arguments that prove nothing.”
“Fallacies often seem superficially sound, and far too often have immense persuasive power, even after being clearly exposed as false.”
The source of the definition: Linn-Benton Community College
Logical fallacies are dangerous because they’re defective arguments.
Knowing how to spot them assures us that there’s a flawed logic. It’s our job to reveal them and present the truth with evidence.
These 10 examples are the most common fallacies we experience in our everyday lives:
1. Ad Hominem 😡
This is an attack associated with trying to undermine the opponent’s arguments using personal attacks.
Ad Hominem destroys civil discourse and the whole point of proving someone’s point-of-view false will be for naught.
2. Ambiguity 😵💫
This refers to the use of a double meaning or an unclear descriptive applied to mislead or misrepresent the truth.
This means the term or phrase that is ambiguous has two distinct meanings. Its intention is to confuse people.
3. Bandwagon 🥴
This fallacy appeals to the popularity of something for validation.
It’s an assumption that something must be true or good if it’s in the opinions of many others.
4. Burden of Proof 😰
This occurs when someone who is making a claim puts the burden of proof on another party to disprove what they are claiming.
It’s an attempt to shift the burden to their opponent.
5. Circular Reasoning 😐
This occurs when a person’s argument repeats what they already assumed before, without arriving at a new conclusion.
It uses the conclusion as evidence to show that the reasons for the particular conclusion are true.
6. Fallacy Fallacy 🤥
This assumes that if an argument contains a logical fallacy, then its conclusion must be false.
It’s an argument that is based on false claims, but is logically coherent.
7. Gambler’s Fallacy 😬
This is the mistaken belief that if an event occurred more frequently than expected in the past, then it’s less likely to occur in the future (and vice versa).
The Gambler’s Fallacy is based on a failure to understand statistical independence.
8. Red Herring 😤
This is an argument that uses confusion or distraction to shift attention away from a topic and toward a false conclusion.
It’s the most general fallacy of irrelevance. It’s often used to avoid a question or shift the discussion in a new direction.
9. Strawman Argument 😒
This occurs when one misrepresents an argument so that it becomes easier to attack.
The Strawman argument attacks a different subject rather than the topic being discussed. This misdirection makes one’s position look stronger than it actually is.
10. Sunk Cost 😣
This happens when someone continues doing something because of the effort they already put into it, regardless of whether the additional costs outweigh the potential benefits.
Conclusion:
Logical fallacies are arguments that may sound convincing, but are based on faulty logic and are therefore invalid. Knowing how to spot them early on will lead you to better understand the situation.
Learning to identify these fallacies ensures us that our own persuasive pieces use the best possible evidence with as few flaws as possible.
Knowing how to spot them assures us that there’s a flawed logic. It’s our job to reveal them and present the truth with evidence.
These 10 examples are the most common fallacies we experience in our everyday lives:
1. Ad Hominem 😡
This is an attack associated with trying to undermine the opponent’s arguments using personal attacks.
Ad Hominem destroys civil discourse and the whole point of proving someone’s point-of-view false will be for naught.
2. Ambiguity 😵💫
This refers to the use of a double meaning or an unclear descriptive applied to mislead or misrepresent the truth.
This means the term or phrase that is ambiguous has two distinct meanings. Its intention is to confuse people.
3. Bandwagon 🥴
This fallacy appeals to the popularity of something for validation.
It’s an assumption that something must be true or good if it’s in the opinions of many others.
4. Burden of Proof 😰
This occurs when someone who is making a claim puts the burden of proof on another party to disprove what they are claiming.
It’s an attempt to shift the burden to their opponent.
5. Circular Reasoning 😐
This occurs when a person’s argument repeats what they already assumed before, without arriving at a new conclusion.
It uses the conclusion as evidence to show that the reasons for the particular conclusion are true.
6. Fallacy Fallacy 🤥
This assumes that if an argument contains a logical fallacy, then its conclusion must be false.
It’s an argument that is based on false claims, but is logically coherent.
7. Gambler’s Fallacy 😬
This is the mistaken belief that if an event occurred more frequently than expected in the past, then it’s less likely to occur in the future (and vice versa).
The Gambler’s Fallacy is based on a failure to understand statistical independence.
8. Red Herring 😤
This is an argument that uses confusion or distraction to shift attention away from a topic and toward a false conclusion.
It’s the most general fallacy of irrelevance. It’s often used to avoid a question or shift the discussion in a new direction.
9. Strawman Argument 😒
This occurs when one misrepresents an argument so that it becomes easier to attack.
The Strawman argument attacks a different subject rather than the topic being discussed. This misdirection makes one’s position look stronger than it actually is.
10. Sunk Cost 😣
This happens when someone continues doing something because of the effort they already put into it, regardless of whether the additional costs outweigh the potential benefits.
Conclusion:
Logical fallacies are arguments that may sound convincing, but are based on faulty logic and are therefore invalid. Knowing how to spot them early on will lead you to better understand the situation.
Learning to identify these fallacies ensures us that our own persuasive pieces use the best possible evidence with as few flaws as possible.