Logical Fallacy Definitions

Question: What is a Straw Man fallacy?

Answer: A Straw Man fallacy occurs when someone misrepresents an argument to make it easier to attack by exaggerating, misquoting, or fabricating aspects of that argument.

Question: What fallacy involves misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack?

Answer: Straw Man fallacy

Question: What characterizes an Ad Hominem fallacy?

Answer: An Ad Hominem fallacy involves attacking the character or traits of the person making an argument rather than the argument itself, to undermine the argument without addressing its merits.

Question: Which fallacy attacks the character or traits of the person making an argument rather than the argument itself?

Answer: Ad Hominem fallacy

Question: How is a False Dilemma fallacy presented?

Answer: A False Dilemma fallacy is presented when an argument erroneously restricts the options to two choices, ignoring other alternatives, to force a particular outcome.

Question: Which fallacy restricts options to two choices, ignoring other alternatives?

Answer: False Dilemma fallacy

Question: What defines a Slippery Slope fallacy?

Answer: A Slippery Slope fallacy asserts that a relatively small first step leads to a chain of related events culminating in some significant effect, without sufficient evidence that this progression will occur.

Question: What fallacy claims that a small first step will lead to a chain of related events resulting in some significant effect, without sufficient evidence?

Answer: Slippery Slope fallacy

Question: What is the Circular Reasoning fallacy?

Answer: Circular Reasoning is a fallacy in which the conclusion of an argument is used as a premise to support itself, essentially arguing in a circle without providing valid justification.

Question: What is the name of the fallacy where the conclusion of an argument is used as a premise to support itself?

Answer: Circular Reasoning fallacy

Question: Can you identify a Hasty Generalization fallacy?

Answer: A Hasty Generalization fallacy occurs when a broad conclusion is drawn from a small or unrepresentative sample of data, leading to an unsupported claim about a larger group.

Question: Which fallacy draws a broad conclusion from a small or unrepresentative sample?

Answer: Hasty Generalization fallacy

Question: What is a Red Herring fallacy?

Answer: A Red Herring fallacy involves introducing an irrelevant or distracting topic into an argument to divert attention from the original issue.

Question: What is the name of the fallacy that involves introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the original issue?

Answer: Red Herring fallacy

Question: Describe the Appeal to Ignorance fallacy?

Answer: An Appeal to Ignorance fallacy occurs when one asserts that a proposition is true because it has not yet been proven false, or vice versa, leveraging the absence of evidence as evidence.

Question: What fallacy occurs when one asserts that a proposition is true because it has not yet been proven false, or vice versa?

Answer: Appeal to Ignorance fallacy

Question: What is an Appeal to Authority fallacy?

Answer: An Appeal to Authority fallacy happens when an argument relies heavily on the opinion of someone deemed an authority, rather than on strong evidence or reasoning.

Question: Which fallacy relies on the opinion of someone deemed an authority, rather than on strong evidence or reasoning?

Answer: Appeal to Authority fallacy

Question: What typifies a No True Scotsman fallacy?

Answer: A No True Scotsman fallacy is typified by revising a generalization to exclude a counterexample by appealing to purity as an excuse, often arbitrarily redefining the criteria.

Question: What fallacy involves revising a generalization to exclude a counterexample by appealing to purity as an excuse?

Answer: No True Scotsman fallacy

Question: How does Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc fallacy work?

Answer: The Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc fallacy involves claiming that because one event follows another, the first event must have caused the second event, confusing correlation with causation.

Question: What fallacy involves claiming that because one event follows another, the first must have caused the second?

Answer: Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc fallacy

Question: What is a Loaded Question fallacy?

Answer: A Loaded Question fallacy involves asking a question that has a presupposition built in, which implies something to be true without evidence or argument.

Question: Which fallacy asks a question that has a presupposition built in, implying something to be true without evidence?

Answer: Loaded Question fallacy

Question: What is a Bandwagon fallacy?

Answer: A Bandwagon fallacy is the error of assuming that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable.

Question: What is the error of assuming that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable?

Answer: Bandwagon fallacy

Question: Identify an example of a False Cause fallacy?

Answer: A False Cause fallacy occurs when a causal connection is assumed in a correlation simply because one event follows another, without evidence for such a connection.

Question: What fallacy occurs when a causal connection is assumed in a correlation simply because one event follows another?

Answer: False Cause fallacy

Question: What is a Gambler's Fallacy?

Answer: The Gambler's Fallacy is the erroneous belief that separate, independent events can affect the likelihood of another random event, such as believing that a flipped coin is 'due' to land on heads after several tails.

Question: What is the fallacy called where one believes that separate, independent events can affect the likelihood of another random event?

Answer: Gambler's Fallacy