Name:______________________________________________

What Are Logical Fallacies?

Logical fallacies are errors in reasoning that undermine the logic of an argument. In any
discourse where you are trying to support a statement with logic and evidence, avoiding these
pitfalls will improve the strength of your argument.

In a VALID argument, valid premises support the conclusion:

Whichever team scores the most points wins the game.

The red team scored more points than the blue team.
Therefore, the red team wins the game.

FAULTY arguments occur when the premises are incorrect. In the example above, not all
games are won that way. If you were playing Uno, the winner of the game would be the one
who scored the fewest points overall. Faulty arguments can also occur when the conclusion
does not follow the premises.

Example: Cats are very good pets. Penny is a good pet. Therefore, Penny is a cat.

A list of some of the common Errors of Faulty Logic appears below. These refer to situations
in which a conclusion is not supported by sound reasons.

1. False Cause - The writer implies that because one event follows another in time the first
event causes the second. The relationship between events is oversimplified.

Ex.: I don’t wash my car because every time I do, it rains.

2. Slippery Slope - This occurs when a person proposes that one change will
inevitably lead to another, like a domino effect. Usually the effect is something
bad or undesirable.

Example: If students do not have a dress code then they will wear
outrageous things, and some might come to school naked.

3. Band Wagon - The basic fallacy of democracy, that popular ideas are
necessarily right.

Example: (1919) Most people don't believe that women should be allowed to
vote, therefore it must be the right decision.

4. Begging the Question (Circular Reasoning)- Making a claim and then arguing for the claim
using statements that are the equivalent of the original claim.

Example: Namibia is the most beautiful country because it has the prettiest landscape.
 5. False Dichotomy (Either/Or) - This fallacy relies on an argument that suggests
there are only two choices. Often there are other options not included in the
statement.

Example: If you don't approve of a raise in taxes to help the school, then
you are against education.

6. Evading the Issue- Responding to a statement by changing the topic to avoid addressing the
issue. (This does not create a new argument; it just changes the subject.)

Example: A student who is accused of cheating on a test responds by saying he always

does his homework and never breaks curfew.

7. Red Herring - Attempting to redirect the argument to another issue to which the
person doing the redirecting can better respond.

Example: Clara states that everyone knows that vaccines cause autism.
When Missy disagrees, Clara brings up a case where doctors were wrong
about the cause of malaria.

8. Argument from Ignorance - This occurs when an idea that has not been
proven false must likely be true. This type of argument will often ask the person
to "prove a negative" which can be difficult to do.

Example: Since subatomic particles have never been seen, they don’t exist.

9. Composition- asserting something about a whole that is or may only be true of its parts.

Example: All police are murderers because one officer was convicted of that crime.

10. Division- claiming something about the parts of something that is generally,
but not always, true of the whole.

Example: Seventh graders get into more trouble than elementary school students. Joe is
in seventh grade, so he must get into a lot of trouble.
Name: __________________________________ Period: 1 3 4 5
Identifying Fallacies

Exercise: Identify the fallacy in the following arguments by writing the letter of the fallacy in the
blank space provided. (There is one answer per type of fallacy.)

A. False Cause C. Bandwagon E. Either/Or G. Red Herring I. Composition

B. Slippery Slope D. Begging the Q F. Evading H. Ignorance J. Division

_____ 1. America: Love it or leave it.

_____ 2. When asked about a congressman accused of taking bribes, a supporter replies, “The
congressman is clearly an able leader. He has a lovely wife and family.”

_____ 3. Cheesecake is gross. I had a piece one time and it upset my stomach.

_____ 4. The Golden Rule is basic to every system of ethics ever devised, and everyone
accepts it in some form or other. It is, therefore, an undeniably sound moral principle.

_____ 5. My grades were better before the new girl got placed at my table. Clearly, she is the
reason my grades went down.

_____6. Women are so sentimental! My mother and sister always cry at the movies.

_____7. Campbells Chicken Noodle soup is the best tasting soup because it is delicious!

_____8. If I fail my math test I probably won’t pass math. If I fail math, I’ll fail 7th grade. If I fail
seventh grade I’ll never get into a good college and will end up working at McDonalds for the
rest of my life.

_____9. As your mayor, I know you have concerns over my votes about the environment. I can
assure you that I am an open minded individual. I am especially proud of my record on votes
that expanded educational opportunities for all children.

_____10. No one has ever proven that the Easter Bunny doesn’t exist, so he must be real.