LOGICAL FALLACIES

A Q U I Z ?

Either you’re going to come with us and have a great time, or you’re going to stay home and sulk. What is it going to be?

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Imagine that I’ve made lots of cookies with chocolate chips in them. But some of the chocolate chips are poisoned! Would you still eat my cookies, even if they only had just one or two poisoned chocolate chips in them? Well, it’s the same thing with movies. Are you really going to see that movie even though it has “just one or two” bad parts in it?

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Everyone knows that girls at BYU–Idaho are looking for a “ring by spring.” Every single one of my six roommates is solid proof of this theory.

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Can we really afford to let these baby-murderers get away with their atrocious crimes? These feminists who think they own, and have the right to kill, the growing child of God in their womb will pay for their sins someday. These tragic deaths are abominations in the sight of a Christian nation.

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Sarah: I just don’t get it. He wants to hang out with me, then he wants to hold my hand, and then suddenly he wants distance? What did I do wrong?

Lisa: I wouldn’t worry too much about it. He’s a preemie isn’t he? What did you expect?

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

I don’t care what Obama said in that speech. He’s black; he can say whatever he wants. All he has to do is bring up civil rights and people have to listen to him because of his race. If he were white, we would all respond differently.

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

95% of the 2,000,000 students polled nationwide prefer to write their essays the night before they’re due. How can so many people be wrong?

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Mr. Rivers: Listen, John, we need to contact a reliable reference to do a background check on you.

John: Oh, here, let me call up my friend Joan.

Mr. Rivers: Well, how will we know if she is reliable or not?

John: Don’t worry, it’s cool—I can vouch for her.

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Jane: Derek, I think we need to talk. I don’t feel like you are respecting our crew enough in this project. We’ve all been breaking a lot of rules by following your leadership and I don’t feel right about the decisions you’ve made without us about the 2015 Projection Guidelines. Can we discuss this?

Derek: Oh, gee, Jane, I’m sorry. I keep forgetting that I’m working with a girl. I guess you want to talk about your feelings and stuff like that, right? Okay, let’s do it.

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

If you don’t clean your room right now, you are going to have mold growing from those dishes underneath your bed. And you know what is attracted to the smell of moldy food? Mice. And you know what mice do when they get together? They mate. And you know where they would like to mate? In your bed. And you know what will happen in the end? You’re going to get the hantavirus and die, all because of that three-day-old cereal underneath the bed. You just wait and see.

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Ms. Parker: Okay everyone, so make sure you have your five-page essays completed by Monday at the beginning of class.

Student: Ms. Parker, why are you always trying to ruin our weekends? You must really have something against young people having fun.

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Mom: I don’t think it’s very nice that you waltzed through the door at 2 a.m. without calling me to tell me you’re going to be late. I was worried sick!

Daughter: Well, didn’t you think it was “nice” that I didn’t wake you up in the middle of the night to call you?

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Until scientists have proven that global warming is a 100% sure thing, I’m not even going to believe it. Why should I?

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Join us as we celebrate this symbol of truth, this vessel of honesty, this icon of charity, selflessness, and courage. On March 5, we will celebrate Alice Smith’s brilliant contribution to the world. We will remember her liberating prowess and important good works.

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution

Sex education should not be taught it school. It is the parents’ responsibility to teach their children about sex. Parents of all high school students should sit their sons and daughters down in their homes to talk about sexual morality and abstinence, or safe sex if they choose.

–False Analogy

–Begging the Question

–Red Herring

–Impossible Certainty

–Hasty Generalization

–Straw Person

–Appeal to Popularity

–Appeal to Questionable

Authority

–Glittering Generality

–Either/Or (False Dilemma)

–Appeal to Emotions

–Slippery Slope

–Explaining by Naming

–Wishful Thinking

–Equivocation

–Ad Hominem

–Searching for Perfect

Solution