LOGIC- The study of reasoning and the principles of valid inferences.
Logic is a
part of philosophy, mathematics, and everyday life.
Types of Fallacies and Examples
1. Ad Hominem (Personal Attack)
• Definition: Attacking the person making the argument instead of addressing the
argument itself.
• Example: “You can’t trust John’s opinion on climate change; he’s not a scientist.”
2. Straw Man
• Definition: Misrepresenting or oversimplifying someone’s argument to make it easier to
attack.
• Example: Person A: “We should have stricter environmental regulations.”
Person B: “Person A wants to shut down all factories and ruin the economy!”
3. False Dilemma (Black-and-White Thinking)
• Definition: Presenting only two options when more exist.
• Example: “You’re either with us, or you’re against us.”
4. Slippery Slope
• Definition: Arguing that a small action will lead to extreme consequences without
sufficient evidence.
• Example: “If we allow students to use calculators, soon they won’t be able to do basic
math.”
5. Circular Reasoning
• Definition: The conclusion is included in the premise without proper support.
• Example: “I deserve a good grade because I am a great student.”
6. Hasty Generalization
• Definition: Drawing a conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence.
• Example: “My friend failed his math test, so math must be impossible for everyone.”
7. Appeal to Authority
• Definition: Saying something is true because an authority figure says so, without actual
evidence.
• Example: “A famous actor uses this toothpaste, so it must be the best one.”
8. Post Hoc (False Cause)
• Definition: Assuming that because one event happened before another, it must have
caused the second event.
• Example: “I wore my lucky socks and won the game; they must be lucky!”
9. Bandwagon Appeal
• Definition: Claiming something is true or right just because many people believe it.
• Example: “Everyone is buying this new phone, so it must be the best.”
10. Red Herring
• Definition: Distracting from the argument by bringing up an unrelated topic.
• Example: “Why worry about pollution when there are so many homeless people?”
Activity for Class
• Provide students with arguments containing fallacies and ask them to identify the type of
fallacy.
• Have students create their own examples and challenge classmates to identify them.