| Logical Fallacy | Formal Fallacy | ||||
| Informal Fallacy | Red herring | Genetic Fallacy | Ad hominem | Poisoning the Well | |
| Two Wrongs Make A Right | Tu Quoque | ||||
| Appeal to Consequences | Appeal to Force | ||||
| Emotional Appeal | Wishful Thinking | ||||
| Guilt By Association | Hitler Card | ||||
| Straw Man | |||||
| Bandwagon Fallacy | |||||
| Begging the Question | Question-begging Analogy | ||||
| Loaded Words | Appeal to Nature | ||||
Alias:
Argumentum ad Naturam
Naturalistic Fallacy
Explanation: The fallacy of Appeal To Nature refers to the argument that just because something is natural that it is therefore valid, justified, or inevitable.
Forms:
1. N is natural,U is unnatural or artificial.
Therefore, N is superior to U.
2. All N is correct or good : All U is wrong or bad
Counterexamples
1. Chloroquine vs. cinchona bark
2. Tobacco, poison ivy, hemlock, rabid animals : Clothing, vaccinations
Alias:
Appeal to Popularity
Argument by Consensus
Argumentum ad Populum
Authority of the Many
Explanation: Irrelevant appeal to the popularity of a conclusion implies the conclusion is true
Forms:Lots of people believe X, therefore X is true
Examples
Counterexamples
Alias:
Circular Argument
Circulus in Probando
Petitio Principii
Vicious Circle
Explanation: The conclusion appears in the premises
Example: God wrote the Bible because it says so in the Bible Top
Alias:
Argumentum ad Nazium
Playing the Hitler Card
Playing the Nazi Card
Reductio ad Hitlerum
Explanation: Criticism of an opposing position because the Nazis espoused it
Forms:
Adolf Hitler accepted idea I. Therefore, I must be wrong.
The Nazis accepted idea I.
Group G accepts I.
Therefore, G is a no better than a Nazi.
Examples
Hitler was a vegetarian. Therefore, it is wrong to be a vegetarain.
Counterexamples
Alias:
Emotive Language
Loaded Language
Question-Begging Epithets
Forms:
Examples
Form:
X and Y have some common characteristic
X is Z
Therefore Y is Z
Alias:
Explanation: Overstatement or misrepresentation of an argument in such a way that it is easier to attack
Forms
A makes some argument or states some position X
B describe position Y as if it were position X (implying all X is Y or no X is Y)
B proceeds to argue against Y instead of X
B claims that X has been refuted
Examples
Senator Smith says that the nation should not add to the defense budget. Senator Jones says that he cannot believe that Senator Smith wants to leave the nation defenseless.
Counterexamples