Logical Fallacies

1. Hasty Conclusionoffering only weak or limited evidence to support a

conclusion.
Example: I walked around the AUS campus two weeks ago (late August)
and didnt see anybody. Theyve gone out of business.
Example: My father smoked two packs of cigarettes and lived until 84;
smoking isnt that bad for you.
2. Sweeping Generalizationmaking a claim about a whole group
based on limited examples.
Example: I met an Australian on a cruise ship who stole my wallet.
Australians are such thieves.
Example: I have been a student at AUS for two semesters and can
definitely say that AUS professors expect too much.
3. Begging the question (circular reasoning)arguing that a claim is
true by repeating the claim in different words.
Example: He is unattractive because he is ugly.
Example: Abortion is the unjustified killing of a human being and as such is
considered murder. Murder is illegal; so abortion should be illegal.
4. Confusing chronology with causality (Post Hoc, ergo propter hoc :
After this, therefore because of this)claiming that because one thing
happened before another, it must therefore be the cause.
Example: A flood happened after the eclipse; therefore the eclipse caused
the flood.
Example: Bill sets out several plates with bread on them. After a couple
days, he notices that the bread has mold growing all over it. Bill concludes
that the mold was produced by the bread going bad. When Bill tells his
mother about his experiment, she says that the mold was the cause of the
bread going bad and that he better clean up the mess if he wants to get
his allowance..
Example: Listening to Rap music causes teenagers to commit violent
crimes, abuse women, and
take drugs.
5. Straw Man Fallacymisrepresenting or exaggerating a persons
argument in order to easily knock it down.
Example: We should legalize marijuana.

No! Allowing unrestricted access to toxic chemicals is dangerous.

Example: I love rainy days.
Oh Yeah? And if it rained all the time wed be drowned in a deluge
of water. Dont be stupid!

Example: Because of the killing and suffering of Indians that

followed Columbuss discovery of America, the City of Berkeley
should declare that Columbus Day will no longer be observed in our
city.
Opponent: This is ridiculous, fellow members of the city council. Its
not true that everybody who ever came to America from another
country somehow oppressed the Indians. I say we should continue
to observe Columbus Day, and vote down this resolution that will
make the City of Berkeley the laughing stock of the nation.
6. False AnalogyAssuming that because one thing resembles another,
conclusions drawn from one also apply to another.
Example: Worker are like nails. Just as nails must be hit in the head
in order to make them work,
so must workers.
Example: The universe is like a watch. A watch must have a

watchmaker. The universe, being like a watch, must have a

designer.
Example: People who have to have a cup of coffee every morning
before they can function have no less a problem than alcoholics
who have to have their alcohol each day to sustain them.

7. Personal Attack (Ad Hominem)attacking a persons character, not

the argument he or she is making.
Example: After Sally presents an eloquent and compelling case for a
more equitable taxation system, Sam asks the audience whether we
should believe anything from a woman who isn't married, was once
arrested, and smells a bit weird.
Example: Why should we listen to you? Youre an atheist!
7. Either/Or Fallacy (False Dichotomy)Assuming there are only two
sides to a question, and representing yours as the only correct one.
Example: Youre either with us or against us.
Example: You can choose to do you homework and get good grades,
or continue to waste your life playing video games.