Logical Fallacies List

Logical fallacies are recurring patterns of faulty reasoning. Use this list to learn the definition of each fallacy and click through to examples and responses.

Logical fallacies list

• Ad Hominem Fallacy — An ad hominem fallacy attacks a person's character instead of addressing their argument.
• Ambiguity (Equivocation) Fallacy — The ambiguity fallacy relies on vague or shifting meanings to make an argument appear valid.
• Anecdotal Fallacy — The anecdotal fallacy treats a personal story as proof instead of using reliable evidence.
• Appeal to Authority — An appeal to authority claims something is true because an authority figure says it, without adequate evidence.
• 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.
• Appeal to Ignorance — An appeal to ignorance claims something is true because it has not been proven false (or vice versa).
• Appeal to Nature — The appeal to nature fallacy assumes something is good or right simply because it is natural.
• Appeal to Tradition — The appeal to tradition fallacy argues something is right because it has always been done that way.
• Bandwagon Fallacy — The bandwagon fallacy treats popularity as proof that a belief or decision is correct.
• Burden of Proof Fallacy — The burden of proof fallacy shifts the responsibility to disprove a claim instead of proving it.
• Circular Reasoning — Circular reasoning uses the conclusion as one of its premises, providing no independent support.
• Composition Fallacy — The composition fallacy assumes what is true of parts must be true of the whole.
• Correlation vs Causation Fallacy — Correlation versus causation fallacy assumes that because two things move together, one causes the other.
• Division Fallacy — The division fallacy assumes what is true of the whole must be true of each part.
• Equivocation Fallacy — Equivocation shifts the meaning of a key word or phrase to make an argument seem valid.
• False Analogy Fallacy — A false analogy compares two things that are not similar in the ways that matter.
• False Cause (Correlation/Causation) — The false cause fallacy assumes a causal relationship without adequate evidence.
• False Dilemma Fallacy — A false dilemma presents only two options when more possibilities exist.
• Gambler's Fallacy — The gambler's fallacy assumes past random events make a future outcome more likely.
• Genetic Fallacy — The genetic fallacy judges a claim based on its source rather than its evidence.
• Hasty Generalization — A hasty generalization draws a broad conclusion from too little or unrepresentative evidence.
• Middle Ground Fallacy — The middle ground fallacy assumes a compromise is always correct simply because it is between two extremes.
• Moving the Goalposts — Moving the goalposts changes the criteria for success after those criteria have been met.
• No True Scotsman — The no true Scotsman fallacy redefines a group to exclude counterexamples and protect a claim.
• Post Hoc Fallacy — Post hoc fallacy assumes that because one event followed another, the first caused the second.
• Red Herring Fallacy — A red herring distracts from the original issue by introducing an irrelevant topic.
• Slippery Slope Fallacy — A slippery slope claims a small step will inevitably lead to extreme outcomes without evidence.
• Straw Man Fallacy — A straw man fallacy distorts someone's position to make it easier to attack.
• Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy — The Texas sharpshooter fallacy cherry-picks data that fits a pattern while ignoring the rest.
• Tu Quoque Fallacy — Tu quoque dismisses a claim by accusing the speaker of hypocrisy instead of addressing the argument.

How to use this list

1. Start with the intro guide.
2. Learn one fallacy at a time.
3. Practice with the logical fallacy game.

FAQ

How many logical fallacies are there?
There is no fixed number, but this list covers the most common patterns you will encounter.

Where should I start?
Start with the introduction and practice with common fallacies like straw man and ad hominem.

How do I use this list?
Pick a fallacy, learn the pattern, and practice identifying it in real-life examples.

References

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fallacies)
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Logic and Critical Thinking)
• Nizkor Project (Fallacies)