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Fallacy

This document discusses common logical fallacies seen in online political debates, including ad hominem, non sequitur, false dichotomy, straw man, slippery slope, red herring, appeal to authority, ad populum, post hoc ergo propter hoc, appeal to tradition, and the made-up "chiller-than-thou" fallacy. Examples are provided for each fallacy to illustrate improper logical arguments. The purpose is to help people identify errors in reasoning and develop more sound arguments when debating online.

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Karl Siagan
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129 views3 pages

Fallacy

This document discusses common logical fallacies seen in online political debates, including ad hominem, non sequitur, false dichotomy, straw man, slippery slope, red herring, appeal to authority, ad populum, post hoc ergo propter hoc, appeal to tradition, and the made-up "chiller-than-thou" fallacy. Examples are provided for each fallacy to illustrate improper logical arguments. The purpose is to help people identify errors in reasoning and develop more sound arguments when debating online.

Uploaded by

Karl Siagan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AD HOMINEM

A favorite weapon of trolls. This fallacy is committed when one resorts to personal
attacks instead of addressing the argument.

Example 1:

Person A: I�m against Duterte�s war on drugs.

Person B: Dilawan!!!

NON SEQUITUR

This fallacy occurs when the conclusion doesn�t necessarily follow from the
premise.

Example:

This man is a criminal. He must be a drug addict.

FALSE DICHOTOMY or FALSE DILEMMA

False dichotomies or false dilemmas occur when one makes it seem like there are
only two possible choices when there are actually other choices possible.

Example:

You keep defending the rights of drug pushers and criminals�that means you don't
care about the rights of the victims!

What happened to us? Since 2016, Facebook has turned from a place for kitten photos
and random funny posts to a venue for acrimonious political debate. Since it looks
like we�ll be arguing with our friends and relatives for the next few years, we
might as well learn to do it properly by knowing our basic logical fallacies.

After all, being able to identify errors in reasoning will help you develop more
sound arguments and refute faulty claims. Here are some of the most common logical
fallacies you�ll find on FB threads:

AD HOMINEM

A favorite weapon of trolls. This fallacy is committed when one resorts to personal
attacks instead of addressing the argument.

Example 1:

Person A: I�m against Duterte�s war on drugs.

Person B: Dilawan!!!

Example 2:
Person A: Instead of attacking Duterte�s drug war, why don�t we focus on the good
things he has done?

Person B: Dutertard alert!!

***

NON SEQUITUR

This fallacy occurs when the conclusion doesn�t necessarily follow from the
premise.

Example:

This man is a criminal. He must be a drug addict.

FALSE DICHOTOMY or FALSE DILEMMA

False dichotomies or false dilemmas occur when one makes it seem like there are
only two possible choices when there are actually other choices possible.

Example:

You keep defending the rights of drug pushers and criminals�that means you don't
care about the rights of the victims!

STRAW MAN

This fallacy happens when one distorts, reduces, or completely fabricates their
opponent�s position to make it easier to refute, and to make their own claims
appear more reasonable. Essentially, it�s like you�re attacking a straw man.

Example:

Person A: I think everyone has a right to a fair trial

Person B: You bleeding-heart liberals think that policemen are murderers and that
criminals should just run free

SLIPPERY SLOPE

The slippery slope fallacy happens when one argues that one thing will lead to
another unlikely event, especially if there is no direct causation between the two.

Example:

If we tolerate homosexuality and legalize gay marriage, eventually we�ll wind up


normalizing pedophilia and bestiality as well.

RED HERRING
This fallacy is named for an old practice in which fox hunters would use red
herrings to throw their hounds off a scent. Similarly, one commits this fallacy
when one brings up a tangential issue to avoid actually addressing the issue at
hand.

Person A: Marcos is no hero�just look at all the atrocities that occurred during
martial law.

Person B: Well what about Hacienda Luisita, and all the other killings that
happened after Marcos was ousted?

APPEAL TO AUTHORITY

This happens when one bolsters one�s argument by quoting an authority, even one who
isn�t an expert on the topic at hand.

Example:

President Trump denies climate change, so it must not be real.

AD POPULUM

This is a favorite with teenagers, who like to say that �everybody�s doing it!� As
the name suggests, this fallacy involves claiming that something is true simply
because the majority believes it to be so.

Example:

I have a lot of Likes on my post. That must mean I'm right.

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

This fallacy happens when one assumes a causal link between events that may just
have happened to follow each other.

Example:

I have a run of bad luck every time I see a black cat, so black cats are unlucky.

Appeal to Tradition
The appeal to tradition fallacy, otherwise known as �argumentum ad antiquitam,�
insists that we keep doing something simply because it�s the way it has always been
done. Tradition, damnit! Popular among commenters who fear change. Used to justify
slavery, war crimes, and so forth.

The Chiller-Than-Thou Fallacy


OK, I made this one up. But I see it ALL THE TIME. Chiller-than-thou commenters are
always telling you to relax, get a grip, calm down, be cool, etc

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