Fallacy Detective

something that distracts attention from the real issue

• Special Pleading

• Ad hominem

• Red Herring

• Genetic Fallacy

an illegitimate double standard is applied that distorts the facts

• Begging the Question

• Loaded QUestion

• Special Pleading

• Appeal to the People

An attack on a person rather than his or her argument.

• Ad hominem

• tu quoque

• Red Herring

• Genetic Fallacy

Condemning an argument because of where it began, how it began, or who began it.

• Tu quotue

• Genetic fallacy

• Appeal to the People

• Faulty Appeal to AUthority

person offering argument is made to look hypocritical. "You Too"

• Red Herring

• Appeal to the People

• Tu Quotue

• Strawman

an appeal to someone who has no special knowledge in the area being discussed

• Appeal to the People

• Faulty appeal to authority

• Tu QUotue

• Hasty generalization

changing or exaggerating an opponent's position to make it easier to refute

• Straw man

• tu quoque

• equivocation

• circular reasoning

a fallacy in which the writer repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence

• red herring

• circular reasoning

• equivocation

• faulty appeal to authority

Using the same term in two different senses in an argument.

• circular reasoning

• straw man

• appeal to the appeal

• equivocation

When someone asks two questions, but one is hidden behind the other.

• loaded question

• slippery slope

• part-to-whole

• whole-to-part