Quick Reference Guide: Logical Fallacies
By Megan McIntyre and Jessica McKee
• Ad Hominem (Argument to the Person): Attacking the person instead of the argument.
• Argument from Authority: Claiming to be an expert, and on that basis, to be deserving of trust.
• Appeal to Authority: Using a statement taken out of context as authoritative support.
• Argument from False Authority: Using an expert in a specific field as an expert in all related fields.
• Appeal to Anonymous Authority: Using appeals to nonspecific groups (e.g., scientists, doctors, re- searchers, and so on).
• Inflation of Conflict: Using a conflict between two authorities as a reason to dismiss their arguments and knowledge.
• Argument by Dismissal: Rejecting an idea without providing a reason or explanation for its dismissal.
• Argument by Emotive Language: Using emotional words that are not supported by evidence and/or are unconnected to the argument being made.
• Appeal to Pity: Drawing on irrelevant personal experiences or feelings in order to produce a sympa- thetic response.
• The Slippery Slope: Suggesting that a particular argument or course of action will lead to disastrous consequences without offering evidence.
• Appeal to Nature: Suggesting a certain behavior or action because it is “natural.”
• Argument from Ignorance: Assuming something is true because it has not been proven false.
• Straw Man: Intentionally misrepresenting your opponent’s position by overexaggerating or offering a caricature of his or her argument.
• False Dilemma: Assuming that there are only two options when there are in fact more.
• Hasty Generalization: Drawing a broad conclusion based on a small minority.
• Cum Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (With This, Therefore Because of This): Confusing correlation with causation—that is, thinking that because two things happened simultaneously, then one must have caused the other.
• Red Herring: Introducing irrelevant facts or claims to detract from the actual argument.
78 Rhetoric Matters: Language and Argument in Context