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| logical_fallacies
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edu | This theory originally occurred to a scientist in the form of a dream; therefore it cannot be valid. | ad hominem |
edu | Thanks to her enduring popularity with employees, Ella Watson is the best-liked CEO in our company's history. | circular reasoning |
edu | If you don’t like Lady Gaga, it’s because you hate women. | fallacy of extension |
edu | John: Can you please help me push my car to the side of the road until the tow truck comes?
Paul: Why push it to the side of the road? Why not just leave it?
John: It is slowing down traffic unnecessarily where it is.
Paul: Many things slow down traffic—do you feel you need to do something about all them?
John: No, but this was my fault.
Paul: Was it really? Were you the direct cause of your car breaking down?
John: Are you going to help me move this damn car or not?!
| fallacy of relevance |
edu | Billy murdered all those people because I spanked him when he was a child. | false causality |
edu | Mormonism is one of the fastest growing sects of Christianity today so that whole story about Joseph Smith getting the golden plates that, unfortunately, disappeared back into heaven, must be true! | ad populum |
edu | Sandra tells her mom, "I deserve to have a later curfew, so you should let me stay out until 10pm!" | circular reasoning |
edu | "Stephen Hawking in the smartest scientist on the planet, so if he says global warming is real, it must be true!" | fallacy of credibility |
edu | The Royals are promoting their team for the next season by telling people to come join the team because everyone else has. | ad populum |
edu | He sometimes behaves violently when I am around him. I don't know what it is that I am doing to make him become so violent. | fallacy of logic |
edu | While doing research for her debate topic on school uniforms, Sara discovered that a local elementary school survey indicated that 72% of its 1st graders wanted uniforms. She used this as evidence to support that all high schools should wear school uniforms.
What fallacy did Sara use here? | faulty generalization |
edu | Incorrectly thinking that one thing leads to another | false causality |
edu | The economy continues to grow as the number of “likes” on my Instagram account continue to increase. Clearly, the two are linked. | false causality |
edu | If you accept that the story of Adam and Eve was figurative, then you will do the same for most of the Old Testament stories of similar literary styles. Once you are there, the New Testament and the story of Jesus does not make sense, which will lead you to believe that the resurrection of Jesus was a “spiritual” one. Once you accept that, you won’t be a Christian anymore; you will be a dirty atheist, then you will have no morals and start having sex with animals of a barnyard nature. So you better take the story of Adam and Eve literally, before the phrase, “that chicken looks delicious”, takes on a whole new meaning. | faulty generalization |
edu | Affirmative Action can never be fair or just. You cannot remedy one injustice by committing another. | circular reasoning |
edu | All my friends are doing a low carb diet. That must be the only way to lose weight so I will do it too. | ad populum |
edu | Canada is the best country to live in because it's better than the other countries! | circular reasoning |
edu | A mother who tells the pediatrician that she doesn't trust his judgment because he's never been a mother. | ad hominem |
edu | "Florida is the most important state because it has sun and beaches." | fallacy of extension |
edu | Bertrand declares that a teapot is, at this very moment, in orbit around the Sun between the Earth and Mars, and that because no one can prove him wrong, his claim is therefore a valid one. | intentional |
edu | People who wear glasses are smarter. | faulty generalization |
edu | "In its origins [AIDS] was entirely a disease of sodomites... That the first case was diagnosed a little over a decade after the so-called "Gay Rights" and "Gay Pride" movement gained momentum and force can hardly be coincidental." - Harry Jaffa, Professor Emeritus of Political Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College | false causality |
edu | Order is necessary to justice because justice can only be achieved by a program of social and legal order. | circular reasoning |
edu | Everyone wants the iPhone 11 because it's the best phone on the market! | ad populum |
edu | A parent who says that the teacher doesn't know how to teach because she graduated from a community college. | ad hominem |
edu | Either God created the world or evolution happened.
Evolution happened.
Therefore, God did not create the world. | fallacy of logic |
edu | After Will said that we should put more money into health and education, Warren responded by saying that he was surprised that Will hates our country so much that he wants to leave it defenseless by cutting military spending. | fallacy of extension |
edu | Did your misleading claims result in you getting promoted? | intentional |
edu | America is the best place to live, because it's better than any other country. (This is a good example of...) | circular reasoning |
edu | Ivan: You cannot borrow my car because it turns back into a pumpkin at midnight.
Sidney: If you really think that, you’re an idiot.
Ivan: That is an ad hominem; therefore, I can’t be an idiot.
Sidney: I beg to differ. | fallacy of logic |
edu | Allowing people to possess guns is like giving a bomb to a bunch of kids. | fallacy of logic |
edu | A person hanging out in a bar will be an alcoholic | faulty generalization |
edu | Joan is scratched by a cat while visiting her friend. Two days later she comes down with a fever. Joan concludes that the cat's scratch must be the cause of her illness. | false causality |
edu | The political commercials described the mayor as a “monster” who “hated babies” but they never discussed his plans for the city. | ad hominem |
edu | If you accept that the story of Adam and Eve was figurative, then you will do the same for most of the Old Testament stories of similar literary styles. Once you are there, the New Testament and the story of Jesus does not make sense, which will lead you to believe that the resurrection of Jesus was a “spiritual” one. Once you accept that, you won’t be a Christian anymore; you will be a dirty atheist, then you will have no morals and start having sex with animals of a barnyard nature. So you better take the story of Adam and Eve literally, before the phrase, “that chicken looks delicious”, takes on a whole new meaning. | faulty generalization |
edu | Of course Lou would want to go biking on field trip day - biking is the only thing he ever does! He shouldn't be allowed to choose an activity. | ad hominem |
edu | Force people to choose between two extreme choices intentionally ignoring the whole spectrum of other possibilities. | false dilemma |
edu | All lions are animals.
All cats are animals.
Therefore, all lions are cats. | fallacy of logic |
edu | My neighbor’s child was kidnapped while playing alone in her yard. My city must be a dangerous place for children. | faulty generalization |
edu | All the popular guys at school are dyeing their hair purple, so you should, too! | ad populum |
edu | Suggesting that John F. Kennedy won the presidency over Richard Nixon exclusively because of the debate on TV | false causality |
edu | “The two courses I took at Harvard were not very interesting. I don't think it is a good university.” | faulty generalization |
edu | Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and perhaps the foremost expert in the field, says that evolution is true. Therefore, it's true. | fallacy of credibility |
edu | If I went to the mall a polled 3 people, those opinions would not represent the opinions of the city population. | faulty generalization |
edu | If you forget to floss, you will get cavities, and if you get cavities, you will lose all your teeth by the time you're 30. | faulty generalization |
edu | "Some tall people recently vandalized the park, tall people are irresponsible." | faulty generalization |
edu | the analogy 'animal Auschwitz,' which compares the treatment of animals to the treatment of Jews, gays and other groups during the Nazi era. | fallacy of logic |
edu | My mother has always told me not to drink milk after eating fish because she knows a friend whose skin got patched after drinking milk and eating fish together. Besides, many other people have told me the same thing so it must be true. | faulty generalization |
edu | Every severe recession follows a Republican Presidency; therefore Republicans are the cause of recessions. | false causality |
edu | "Good source of Vitamin D"...*doesn't mention the terrible amounts of sugar. | intentional |
edu | harmful atheists favor cloning, so cloning is wrong | ad hominem |
edu | Based on a survey of 1000 American homeowners, 99% of those surveyed have two or more automobiles worth on average $100,000 each. Therefore, Americans are very wealthy. | faulty generalization |
edu | Ted: Biological evolution is both a theory and a fact.
Edwin: That is ridiculous! How can you possibly be absolutely certain that we evolved from pond scum! | fallacy of extension |
edu | “Eat great food at our restaurant, or eat sad, boring meals at home.” | false dilemma |
edu | My roommate wants to talk about cleaning out the garage, so I asked her what she wants to do with our patio furniture. Now she's shopping for new patio furniture and not asking me about the garage. | fallacy of relevance |
edu | "The majority of people are voting for John Doe, so he must be the best candidate." | ad populum |
edu | "Your Honor, the defendant has been able to provide no strong evidence to prove his innocence; therefore, you must find him guilty." | intentional |
edu | gun registration would start us sliding into the unconstitutional morass of universal arms confiscation. | faulty generalization |
edu | Poetry is a based on rhythm, and music is based on rhythm, so isn't poetry a kind of music? | fallacy of logic |
edu | If you don’t eat breakfast, you’ll slouch in your desk. If you slouch in your desk, you’ll hurt your back. If you hurt your back, you’ll never become President. What fallacy is being committed here? | faulty generalization |
edu | It is possible to fake the moon landing through special effects. Therefore, the moon landing was a fake using special effects. | fallacy of logic |
edu | "She's definitely a feminist; she watched the Democratic National Convention" IS an example of this fallacy. | faulty generalization |
edu | "The academic decathlon, Mr. Iglesias? That's a rich kid thing." | false dilemma |
edu | This is an example of which fallacy? | ad populum |
edu | There is a lot of commotion regarding saving the environment. We cannot make this world an Eden. What will happen if it does become Eden? Adam and Eve got bored there! | fallacy of relevance |
edu | If you don't pass this quiz, you will get a low grade. This will affect your score in the gradebook, you will fail Eng II. You will not graduate Highschool. You will not get a good job. | faulty generalization |
edu | Santa has a red suit. My dad has a red suit. My dad must be Santa Claus! (This is an example of...) | fallacy of logic |
edu | Attributing the cause of World War II to only Adolf Hitler's hatred of the Jews | false causality |
edu | We should stop using hairspray because it is snowing in New York. | fallacy of logic |
edu | Earl: Men don't cry
Jaquon: I cry all the time; it's healthy
Earl: Well, REAL men don't cry.
Jaquon: Earl, you should invest in some therapy.
Earl: Los hombres no lloran
Jaquon: lloro todo el tiempo; Es saludable
Earl: Bueno, los hombres REALES no lloran.
Jaquon: Earl, deberías invertir en terapia. | intentional |
edu | The report suggests that 'the rise in violent offending and the explosion in the sales of iPods and other portable media devices is more than coincidental,' and asks, rather provocatively, 'Is There an iCrime Wave?' The report notes that nationally, violent crime fell every year from 1993 to 2004, before rising in 2005 and 2006, just as 'America’s streets filled with millions of people visibly wearing, and being distracted by, expensive electronic gear.' | false causality |
edu | If you don’t agree to sign the labor agreement, we’ll fire you. | appeal to emotion |
edu | “My boss isn’t willing to increase the number of vacation days we get each year. That means she doesn’t care about our health. It’s wrong not to care about employees’ health. She should be replaced with someone who cares about the employees.” | fallacy of extension |
edu | Many people criticize Thomas Jefferson for being an owner of slaves. But Jefferson was one of our greatest presidents, and his Declaration of Independence is one of the most eloquent pleas for freedom and democracy ever written. Clearly these criticisms are unwarranted. | fallacy of relevance |
edu | Interviewer: What do you think should be done about people who swear in public?
Man on the Street: I think it should be against the law.
Interviewer: Oh, I suppose you're against the right to free speech, then? | fallacy of extension |
edu | Red had come up six times in a row on the roulette wheel, so Greg knew that it was close to certain that black would be next up. Suffering an economic form of natural selection with this thinking, he soon lost all of his savings. | ad populum |
edu | My grandmother smoked for 80 years and died at 100. Obviously, smoking isn’t harmful. | faulty generalization |
edu | Steve: In Sweden, college is free for citizens. How come we can't do that here?
Ed: If you like Sweden so much, move there. The USA would be glad to be rid of your liberal ass!
| ad hominem |
edu | You've never visited another country, so who cares what you say about immigration reform! | ad hominem |
edu | I'm raising funds to help cure XYZ disease. If you don't donate, then you're part of the problem. | false dilemma |
edu | "I see nobody on the road," said Alice.
"I only wish I had such eyes," the king remarked..."To be able to see Nobody! And at that distance, too! Why it's as much as I can do to see real people, by this light." | equivocation |
edu | We haven’t found the ruins of Troy, so the city of Troy didn’t really exist. | intentional |
edu | Mike: It is morally wrong to cheat on your spouse, why on earth would you have done that?
Ken: But what is morality exactly?
Mike: It’s a code of conduct shared by cultures.
Ken: But who creates this code?...
| fallacy of relevance |
edu | "We should abolish the death penalty. Many respected people, such as actor, Chewbacca, have publicly stated their opposition to it." | fallacy of credibility |
edu | According to the Supreme Court, we have a right to abortion. Therefore, it is right to have an abortion. | equivocation |
edu | The reason our company never makes any money is because we have a buffoon running it! | ad hominem |
edu | Not believing in the literal resurrection of Jesus because the Bible has errors and contradictions, is like denying that the Titanic sank because eye-witnesses did not agree if the ship broke in half before or after it sank. | fallacy of logic |
edu | Look, you are going to have to make up your mind. Either, you decide that you can afford this stereo, or your decide that you are going to have to go without music for a while. | false dilemma |
edu | A student gets into trouble for not meeting the dress code at her school. When her teacher confronts her, she begins talking about how the dress code is a punishment for girls and boys are able to wear whatever they want. | fallacy of relevance |
edu | How do I know that Beth is the most intelligent person in our geometry class? I know because she's so smart. | circular reasoning |
edu | Mayor Kerr wants to create more bicycle lanes in Greenpoint. Why is he forcing us to give up our cars and bike everywhere? | fallacy of extension |
edu | Look at that face! Could anyone trust that to run the country? | ad hominem |
edu | assumes that short-term deviations will correct themselves | false causality |
edu | "Everyone should like coffee: 95% of teachers do!" | ad populum |
edu | All forest creatures live in the woods.
All leprechauns are forest creatures.
Therefore, some leprechauns live in the woods. | fallacy of logic |
edu | Ken: There has to be an objective morality because otherwise terms like “right” and “wrong” would be meaningless since they have no foundation for comparison.
Rob: The terms “right” and “wrong” are based on cultural norms, which do have a subjective foundation -- one that changes as the moral sphere of the culture changes. The term “heavy” does not have an objective standard, yet we have no problem using that term in a meaningful way. In fact, very few relational terms have any kind of objective foundation.
Ken: But without an objective morality, we would all be lost morally as a race.
Rob: Many would say that we are.
Ken: But how can you say that torturing children for fun is morally acceptable in any situation?
Rob: Personally, I wouldn’t, but you are implying that anything that is not objective must necessarily be seen in all possible ways. A feather may not be seen as “heavy” to anyone, but that doesn’t mean its “lightness” is still not relative to other objects.
Ken: But God is the standard of objective morality. Prove that wrong!
Rob: That I cannot do.
| intentional |
edu | This fallacy assumes something is true (or right, or good) because other people agree with it. | ad populum |
edu | I know four poor families. They are lazy drug addicts. Therefore, all poor people are lazy drug addicts. | faulty generalization |
edu | How many times per day do you beat your wife? | intentional |
edu | Maury: Please put all my chips on red 21.
Dealer: Are you sure you want to do that? Red 21 just came up in the last spin.
Maury: I didn’t know that! Thank you! Put it on black 15 instead. I can’t believe I almost made that mistake! | false causality |