Logical Fallacies

Using fear to sway people by exaggerating possible dangers well beyond their statistical likelihood

Ex: "If you don't buy this product, you risk injury and death."

• Slippery Slope

• Scare Tactics

• Appeal to False Authority

• Straw Man

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

Misrepresenting or twisting someone's argument so it's easier to attack and knockdown

Ex: Wife: I'd rather have a dog than a cat.Husband: Why do you hate cats?

• Scare Tactics

• Bandwagon

• Straw Man

• Ad Hominem

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.8

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.11-12.8

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Incorrect assumption that one event caused another event correlation does not imply causation.

Ex: I dyed my hair red last week. This week, three other girls showed up to school with freshly dyed red hair. They must have made the change because they liked my hair.

• Hasty Generalization

• Faulty Casualty

• Slippery Slope

• Appeal to False Authority

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

Appeal to False Authority

• Presenting an unqualified person or institution as a source of credible information

  Ex: My 6th-grade teacher said that people will fall in love with someone who knows how to dance. Therefore, if I want to win some hearts, I need to learn to dance.

• Incorrect assumption that one event caused another event correlation does not imply causation.

  Ex: I dyed my hair red last week. This week, three other girls showed up to school with freshly dyed red hair. They must have made the change because they liked my hair.

• In Latin, this means: to the man. When you attack a person's character instead of the quality his/her ideas.

  Ex: Oh please , what do you know about labor laws? You don't even have a job.

• Playing on readers' emotions to distract them from the facts

  Ex: ASPCA ads effectively designed to make you feel like a heartless jerk if you don't donate.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.8

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.11-12.8

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Exaggeration of the likely consequences of an action, designed to show that a misstep today could result in a disaster in the future

Ex: We can't allow students to bring beverages into the auditorium. If we do, soon they'll start bringing in snacks and then full meals. In no time at all, the place will be filled with trash, rats, and cockroaches. Good grief, we'd probably have to condemn the building.

• Ad Hominem

• Straw Man

• Slippery Slope

• Hasty Generalization

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

Hasty Generalization

• An inference drawn from insufficient evidence.

  Ex: My new Toyota broke down, so all Toyotas must be poorly made.

• Using fear to sway people by exaggerating possible dangers well beyond their statistical likelihood

  Ex: "If you don't buy this product, you risk injury and death."

• Playing on readers' emotions to distract them from the facts

  Ex: ASPCA ads effectively designed to make you feel like a heartless jerk if you don't donate.

• Unfair oversimplification of an issue by providing only two options as a possible solution

  Ex: "If you aren't first, you're last."

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

Sentimental Appeal

• Playing on readers' emotions to distract them from the facts

  Ex: ASPCA ads effectively designed to make you feel like a heartless jerk if you don't donate.

• An inference drawn from insufficient evidence.

  Ex: My new Toyota broke down, so all Toyotas must be poorly made.

• Unfair oversimplification of an issue by providing only two options as a possible solution

  Ex: "If you aren't first, you're last."

• Using fear to sway people by exaggerating possible dangers well beyond their statistical likelihood

  Ex: "If you don't buy this product, you risk injury and death."

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.8

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.11-12.8

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Arguments urging you to follow the same path that everyone else is taking

Ex: This technique is commonly used to sway these two groups: teens and voters

• Bandwagon

• Ad Hominem

• Slippery Slope

• Straw Man

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

Ad Hominem

• In Latin, this means: to the man. When you attack a person's character instead of the quality his/her ideas.

  Ex: Oh please , what do you know about labor laws? You don't even have a job.

• Misrepresenting or twisting someone's argument so it's easier to attack and knockdown

  Ex: Wife: I'd rather have a dog than a cat.Husband: Why do you hate cats?

• Using fear to sway people by exaggerating possible dangers well beyond their statistical likelihood

  Ex: "If you don't buy this product, you risk injury and death."

• Arguments urging you to follow the same path that everyone else is taking

  Ex: This technique is commonly used to sway these two groups: teens and voters

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.8

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.11-12.8

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Either/Or

• Misrepresenting or twisting someone's argument so it's easier to attack and knockdown

  Ex: Wife: I'd rather have a dog than a cat.Husband: Why do you hate cats?

• In Latin, this means: to the man. When you attack a person's character instead of the quality his/her ideas.

  Ex: Oh please , what do you know about labor laws? You don't even have a job.

• Unfair oversimplification of an issue by providing only two options as a possible solution

  Ex: "If you aren't first, you're last."

• Arguments urging you to follow the same path that everyone else is taking

  Ex: This technique is commonly used to sway these two groups: teens and voters

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.8

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.11-12.8

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5