Fallacy Library
Logical Fallacies List
A complete, practical library of logical fallacies with definitions, real-life examples, and quick responses.
Relevance and Rhetoric
Fallacies that distract, attack the person, or substitute persuasion for evidence.
Ad Hominem Fallacy: Stop Attacking People, Start Answering Arguments
An ad hominem fallacy attacks a person's character instead of addressing their argument.
Straw Man Fallacy: Arguing Against a Weaker Version of the Real Point
A straw man fallacy distorts someone's position to make it easier to attack.
Red Herring Fallacy
A red herring fallacy distracts from the original issue by introducing an irrelevant topic.
Tu Quoque Fallacy
Tu quoque dismisses a claim by accusing the speaker of hypocrisy instead of addressing the argument.
Appeal to Emotion
The appeal to emotion fallacy uses feelings as the primary evidence instead of reasons or facts.
Appeal to Fear
An appeal to fear tries to persuade by frightening people rather than presenting evidence.
Bandwagon Fallacy: When Popularity Feels Like Proof
The bandwagon fallacy treats popularity as proof that a belief or decision is correct.
Appeal to Authority Fallacy: When “Who Said It” Replaces Real Evidence
An appeal to authority claims something is true because an authority figure says it, without adequate evidence.
Appeal to Tradition
The appeal to tradition fallacy argues something is right because it has always been done that way.
Appeal to Nature
The appeal to nature fallacy assumes something is good or right simply because it is natural.
Appeal to Ignorance
An appeal to ignorance claims something is true because it has not been proven false (or vice versa).
Genetic Fallacy
The genetic fallacy judges a claim based on its source rather than its evidence.
Causation and Evidence
Fallacies that confuse correlation with causation or cherry-pick evidence.
False Cause (Correlation/Causation)
The false cause fallacy assumes a causal relationship without adequate evidence.
Post Hoc Fallacy
Post hoc fallacy assumes that because one event followed another, the first caused the second.
Correlation vs Causation Fallacy
The correlation versus causation fallacy assumes that because two things move together, one causes the other.
Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy
The Texas sharpshooter fallacy cherry-picks data that fits a pattern while ignoring the rest.
Gambler's Fallacy
The gambler's fallacy assumes past random events make a future outcome more likely.
Burden of Proof Fallacy
The burden of proof fallacy shifts the responsibility to disprove a claim instead of proving it.
Structure and Logic
Fallacies about structure, alternatives, or weak generalizations.
False Dilemma Fallacy
A false dilemma fallacy presents only two options when more possibilities exist.
Middle Ground Fallacy
The middle ground fallacy assumes a compromise is always correct simply because it is between two extremes.
Slippery Slope Fallacy
A slippery slope claims a small step will inevitably lead to extreme outcomes without evidence.
Hasty Generalization Fallacy: How One Bad Experience Turns Into a Bad Conclusion
A hasty generalization draws a broad conclusion from too little or unrepresentative evidence.
Anecdotal Fallacy: When One Story Replaces Real Evidence
The anecdotal fallacy treats a personal story as proof instead of using reliable evidence.
False Analogy Fallacy
A false analogy compares two things that are not similar in the ways that matter.
Circular Reasoning
Circular reasoning uses the conclusion as one of its premises, providing no independent support.
Moving the Goalposts
Moving the goalposts changes the criteria for success after those criteria have been met.
Composition Fallacy
The composition fallacy assumes what is true of parts must be true of the whole.
Division Fallacy
The division fallacy assumes what is true of the whole must be true of each part.
Ambiguity and Definition
Fallacies that rely on vague terms, shifting meanings, or redefining groups.
Equivocation Fallacy
Equivocation shifts the meaning of a key word or phrase to make an argument seem valid.
Ambiguity (Equivocation) Fallacy
The ambiguity fallacy relies on vague or shifting meanings to make an argument appear valid.
No True Scotsman
The no true Scotsman fallacy redefines a group to exclude counterexamples and protect a claim.
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