A field guide for your logical-fallacies project
Bad reasoning can sound convincing.
Learn to spot the move, prove what went wrong, and repair the argument.
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All 15 fallacies
The 15 fallacies
- #1 Distort or Dodge
Straw Man
A straw man changes someone's real claim into an easier, more extreme, or sillier claim and attacks the changed version instead.
Did the response address the real claim?
Explore Straw Man → - #2 Manipulate the Frame
False Dilemma
A false dilemma presents two choices as if they are the only possibilities when other reasonable options exist.
Is the audience being boxed in or pushed instead of properly informed?
Explore False Dilemma → - #3 Make an Unsupported Leap
Slippery Slope
A slippery-slope argument claims that one step will trigger a chain ending in an extreme result without enough support for the links.
Does the conclusion actually follow from the reasons?
Explore Slippery Slope → - #4 Use Weak Evidence
Anecdotal Fallacy
The anecdotal fallacy treats one story or personal experience as enough proof for a broad claim, especially when stronger evidence is available.
Is the evidence relevant, representative, and strong enough?
Explore Anecdotal Fallacy → - #5 Use Weak Evidence
Appeal to Authority
This fallacy treats a claim as true mainly because an admired or powerful source says it, without checking relevant expertise and evidence.
Is the evidence relevant, representative, and strong enough?
Explore Appeal to Authority → - #6 Manipulate the Frame
Appeal to Emotion
An appeal to emotion becomes fallacious when feelings are used in place of the reasons or evidence needed to support the conclusion.
Is the audience being boxed in or pushed instead of properly informed?
Explore Appeal to Emotion → - #7 Make an Unsupported Leap
Circular Reasoning
Circular reasoning uses the conclusion itself, restated or assumed, as the reason for believing the conclusion.
Does the conclusion actually follow from the reasons?
Explore Circular Reasoning → - #8 Use Weak Evidence
Bandwagon
The bandwagon fallacy treats popularity as proof that a claim is true, a choice is best, or an action is right.
Is the evidence relevant, representative, and strong enough?
Explore Bandwagon → - #9 Make an Unsupported Leap
Post Hoc and False Cause
False-cause reasoning assumes that one event caused another without enough evidence, often because the events happened together or one happened first.
Does the conclusion actually follow from the reasons?
Explore Post Hoc and False Cause → - #10 Distort or Dodge
Red Herring
A red herring introduces an irrelevant issue that pulls attention away from the question or claim that needs an answer.
Did the response address the real claim?
Explore Red Herring → - #11 Distort or Dodge
Ad Hominem
Ad hominem attacks a person's character or traits instead of answering the person's argument.
Did the response address the real claim?
Explore Ad Hominem → - #12 Distort or Dodge
Whataboutism
Whataboutism answers criticism by pointing to another person's wrongdoing instead of addressing the original issue.
Did the response address the real claim?
Explore Whataboutism → - #13 Use Weak Evidence
Appeal to Tradition
Appeal to tradition treats a practice as right, best, or necessary mainly because it is old or has always been done.
Is the evidence relevant, representative, and strong enough?
Explore Appeal to Tradition → - #14 Distort or Dodge
Guilt by Association
Guilt by association dismisses a person or claim because of a disliked connection rather than relevant evidence about the person or claim.
Did the response address the real claim?
Explore Guilt by Association → - #15 Use Weak Evidence
Hasty Generalization
A hasty generalization draws a broad conclusion from a sample that is too small, unrepresentative, or poorly selected.
Is the evidence relevant, representative, and strong enough?
Explore Hasty Generalization →
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Four families of what goes wrong
Traditional lists of fallacies overlap and disagree. We group the 15 topics by what actually fails in the reasoning, each with one diagnostic question.
Did the response address the real claim?
These moves replace, distract from, or attack something other than the actual argument.
Is the evidence relevant, representative, and strong enough?
These moves ask weak evidence to carry a conclusion that is too large or too certain.
Does the conclusion actually follow from the reasons?
These moves jump from premises to a conclusion without building the needed bridge.
Is the audience being boxed in or pushed instead of properly informed?
These moves control the choices or emotional pressure around an argument.
The project workflow
Every project follows the same six moves, from picking a topic to citing a source.
- Choose
- Find
- Map
- Prove
- Repair
- Cite