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    Logical Fallacies

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    Sara
    The document defines and provides examples of common logical fallacies used in arguments. It discusses fallacies such as appeal to authority, appeal to emotion, begging the question, false cause, slippery slope, and straw man arguments.

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    Logical Fallacies

    Uploaded by

    Sara
    21 views3 pages
    The document defines and provides examples of common logical fallacies used in arguments. It discusses fallacies such as appeal to authority, appeal to emotion, begging the question, false cause, slippery slope, and straw man arguments.

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    The document defines and provides examples of common logical fallacies used in arguments. It discusses fallacies such as appeal to authority, appeal to emotion, begging the question, false cause, slippery slope, and straw man arguments.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    21 views3 pages

    Logical Fallacies

    Uploaded by

    Sara
    The document defines and provides examples of common logical fallacies used in arguments. It discusses fallacies such as appeal to authority, appeal to emotion, begging the question, false cause, slippery slope, and straw man arguments.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Logical Fallacies

    Note: This document should only be used as a reference and should not replace assignment guidelines.
    Strong, logical arguments are essential in writing. However, the use of faulty logic or reasoning to reach
    conclusions discredits arguments and shows lack of support and reasoning. This handout lists some of
    these logical errors—called logical fallacies—that are most commonly encountered.

    Appeal to Authority
    Accepting someone’s argument because of his or her authority in a field unrelated to the argument,
    rather than evaluating the person’s argument on its own merits. (Also called Argumentum ad
    Verecundiam, or “argument from modesty”)
    EXAMPLE: My dentist says she’s voting for the conservative candidate, so I will too.

    Appeal to Emotion
    Exploiting the audience’s feelings to convert them to a particular viewpoint. Appeals to fear, flattery,
    ridicule, pity, or spite are among the most common forms this fallacy takes. In some circumstances,
    appealing to emotion may be appropriate, but writers should avoid appeals to emotion when reason
    and logic are expected or needed.
    EXAMPLE: I’m sure someone with your vast experience can see that plan B is better.

    Appeal to Ignorance
    Basing a conclusion solely on the absence of knowledge. (Also called Argumentum ad Ignoratiam)
    EXAMPLE: I’ve never seen an alien, so they must not exist.

    Appeal to Popular Opinion


    Claiming that a position is true because most people believe it is. (Also called Argumentum ad Populum)
    EXAMPLE: The governor has high approval ratings; he is therefore doing a good job.

    Attacking the Person


    Discrediting an argument by attacking the person who makes it, rather than the argument itself. (Also
    called Poisoning the Well or Argumentum ad Hominem)
    EXAMPLE: Don’t listen to Becky’s opinion on welfare; she just opposes it because she’s from a
    rich family.

    Appeal to Hypocrisy
    Literally—‘you also’: A type of ad hominem argument that follows the following format: A argues against
    B, but A also participates in B, therefore A’s argument is wrong. (Also called Tu Quoque)
    EXAMPLE: Jeffrey is of the opinion that the Iraq war is unjust. Jeffrey is himself in the National
    Reserve, so his opinion is wrong.

    Begging the Question


    Using a premise to prove a conclusion when the premise itself assumes the conclusion is true. (Also
    called Circular Reasoning, Circulus in Probando, and Petitio Principii)
    EXAMPLE: I know I can trust Janine because she says that I can.

    Complex Question

    FL 208 • 801-863-8936 • www.uvu.edu/writingcenter


    Facebook: UVUWritingCenter • Twitter: @uvuwritingctr
    Logical Fallacies
    Note: This document should only be used as a reference and should not replace assignment guidelines.
    Combining two questions or issues as if they were one, when really they should be answered or
    discussed separately. Often involves one question that assumes the answer to another.
    EXAMPLE: Why did you steal the CD? (Assumes you did steal the CD)

    Composition
    Assuming that because parts have certain properties, the whole does as well. (The reverse of Division)
    EXAMPLE: All the parts of the engine were lightweight, so the engine should have been
    lightweight.

    Correlation Implies Causation


    Concluding that because two things occur at the same time, one has caused the other. (Also called Cum
    Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc)
    EXAMPLE: There was a full moon the night I had my car accident, so I’m never driving again
    under a full moon.

    Division
    Assuming that because a large body has certain properties, its parts do as well. (The reverse of
    Composition)
    EXAMPLE: That company donates a lot of money to charity, so every person who works there
    must be a charitable person.

    Equivocation
    Applying the same term but using differing meanings.
    EXAMPLE: The sign by the pond said, “Fine for Swimming,” so I dove right in.

    False Cause and Effect


    Claiming that because one event occurred before a second, it caused the second. (Also called
    Coincidental Correlation and Post-Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc)
    EXAMPLE: Joan was scratched by a cat while visiting her friend and came down with a fever two
    days later. The cat’s scratch therefore caused the fever.

    False Dilemma
    Suggesting only two solutions to a problem when other options are also available. (Also called
    Bifurcation)
    EXAMPLE: You can either be pro-choice or pro-life; there is no middle ground.

    Hasty Generalizations
    When a writer arrives at a conclusion based on inadequate evidence or a sample that is too small.
    EXAMPLE: I liked the last Chinese restaurant I went to, so I will like every Chinese restaurant in
    the world.

    Ignoring the Issue


    Shifting the reader’s attention from the real issue to a different argument that might be valid, but is
    unrelated to the first. (Also called Arguing beside the Point and Ignoratio Elenchi)

    Utah Valley University (UVU) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,
    gender identity, age (40 and over), disability status, veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy-related conditions,
    citizenship, genetic information, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to
    educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.
    Logical Fallacies
    Note: This document should only be used as a reference and should not replace assignment guidelines.
    EXAMPLE: No, the suspect won’t say where he was on the night of the crime, but he does
    remember being abused repeatedly as an innocent child.

    Non Sequitur
    Using a premise to prove an unrelated point. Two common non sequitur fallacies include Affirming the
    Consequent and Denying the Antecedent.
     Affirming the Consequent: Non sequitur fallacy that takes the following pattern:
    If A is true, then B is true.
    A is false.
    Therefore, B is false.
    EXAMPLE: If I am a Texan, then I am an American. I am not a Texan. Therefore, I am not
    an American.
     Denying the Antecedent: Non sequitur fallacy that takes the following pattern:
    If A is true, then B is true.
    B is true.
    Therefore, A is true.
    EXAMPLE: Dogs are animals. Fluffy is an animal. Therefore, Fluffy is a dog.

    Red Herring
    Introducing an unrelated or invalid point to distract the reader from the actual argument. Appeal to
    Emotion, Attacking the Person, Ignoring the Issue, and Straw Man are a few examples of Red Herring
    fallacies.
    EXAMPLE: Protestors worried about abortion ending lives should spend more time investigating
    the impact of handguns in childhood deaths.

    Slippery Slope
    A fallacy based on the fear that one step will inevitably lead to the next.
    EXAMPLE: Embryonic stem cells used for research will lead to full-scale reproductive cloning.

    Stacking the Deck


    When a writer tries to prove a point by focusing on only one side of the argument while ignoring the
    other.
    EXAMPLE: Summer is the best season because it’s warm and sunny, everything is green, and
    people can swim outdoors. (No mention of intense heat, insects, or any consideration of other
    seasons.)

    Straw Man
    Attacking one of the opposition’s unimportant or small arguments, while ignoring the opposition’s best
    argument.

    EXAMPLE: People from Quebec want to secede from Canada to get their own currency. Don’t
    they realize money isn’t everything?

    FL 208 • 801-863-8936 • www.uvu.edu/writingcenter


    Facebook: UVUWritingCenter • Twitter: @uvuwritingctr

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