Logical Fallacies in Everyday Arguments

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What is a logical fallacy?

Back

A logical fallacy is an error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid. It often misleads or distracts from the actual issue.

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What is Faulty Causality?

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Faulty Causality is a fallacy that assumes that because one event follows another, the first event caused the second.

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Example of Faulty Causality?

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"My grandmother ate 10 cloves of raw garlic every day. Not surprisingly, she lived to be 102."

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What is Bandwagon?

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Bandwagon is a fallacy that suggests that because everyone is doing something, it must be the right thing to do.

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Example of Bandwagon?

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"I guess I should buy my 12 year old daughter an iPhone. Everyone at her new school has one and I want her to fit in with the other kids."

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What is Ad Hominem?

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Ad Hominem is a fallacy that attacks the person making an argument rather than the argument itself.

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Example of Ad Hominem?

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"My opponent raises a good point, but can we really trust him? He moved to this town only two years ago and everyone knows that his wife left him."

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Another example of Ad Hominem?

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"Charlie: Fast food is filled with salt, fat and added sugars. We need better regulation of the industry. Bob: That may be, but you're such a hypocrite!"

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What is Either/Or fallacy?

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Either/Or fallacy presents a situation as having only two alternatives, when in fact there are more options.

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Example of Either/Or fallacy?

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"If you don't say the Pledge of Allegiance, then you must be a traitor."