How to Tell if Something Contains a Logical Fallacy

Many people accidentally use logical fallacies in their daily lives. Logical fallacies are arguments that use inaccurate or irrelevant information. These can be easily disproven using logic and correct reasoning. You might need to spot logical fallacies for school, or in real life. Spotting logical fallacies is very important for many things. ^{[1]XResearch source}

1

Ad Hominem

1
Identify an ad hominem fallacy. An ad hominem fallacy is when someone attacks a person's characteristics in order to prove their points. This is not an effective arguing tactic because it just mocks the person instead of providing clear reasoning against it. ^{[2]XResearch source}
- Example: Science is a boring subject because Mr. Duncan is terrible at teaching it.
- Example: Sarah shouldn't be the governor since she isn't even from it.
- Example: He's so ugly! He shouldn't even be famous.
2
Avoid using ad hominem in your reasoning. Ad hominem is ineffective because it is not related to the main argument. This makes your argument weak. ^{[3]XResearch source}
- Try to disprove the main argument instead of directly attacking your opponent.
- For example, instead of pointing out how ugly or boring a celebrity is, try to point out what bad things they did. They might've said many rude things on the internet, or they could've overspent on luxury goods instead of donating to charities like they said they would.
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2

Appeal to Authority

1
Identify appeal to authority. Appeal to authority is when someone uses someone of authority to prove that their claim is right. This is a bad way to prove your claim, because it is too weak to stand by itself. ^{[4]XResearch source}
- Example: -3*3 = 9 because my popular friend said so.
- Example: To lose weight, you should only drink water. I saw this on a fitness blog.
- Example: William Shakespeare wasn't even a real person- my teacher says. ^{[5]XResearch source}
2
Avoid appeal to authority. This is a weak way to prove your argument. The person of authority might lie or spread inaccurate information, which is not good for your claim.
- Research about your stance and gather information from reputable sources. You can't just rely on one teacher, blog, or website for all of your argument.
- For example, research on the benefits of exercise, gather your evidence from a wide variety of sources, and don't just rely on your PE teacher or a fitness blog for all of the information.
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3

Appeal to Hypocrisy

1
Identify appeal to hypocrisy. Appeal to hypocrisy is when someone points out the hypocrisy in someone's statement instead of adding to their own argument to make it stronger. This is not an effective arguing tactic since it attacks a person instead of making their own argument stronger.
- Example: I've heard that back in the day minors could drink, so why can't we now? ^{[6]XResearch source}
- Example: Mom, you got my sister a phone, so why don't I have one?
- Example: Why did you allow Max to stay up at night? I wasn't allowed to!
2
Avoid using appeal to hypocrisy in your argument. This deflects blame from you and puts all of the negative qualities on the opponent. But this is not useful in an argument.
- Disprove the main argument instead of blaming the other person.
- For example, if you are trying to argue that chocolate is good for you, research on chocolate and its benefits. It might contain healthy antioxidants or other supplements for your body, which is healthy for you.
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4

Appeal to Ignorance

1
Identify appeal to ignorance. This happens when someone tries to prove that their stance is correct based on no evidence that the opposite has been proved true. ^{[7]XResearch source}
- Example: Aliens aren't real. There's no evidence to say that they are real.
- Example: The Loch Ness monster must exist. There's nothing to say that it doesn't.
- Example: The Illuminati exists. Prove me wrong.
2
Avoid appeal to ignorance. This is a weak way to support your argument. You have no evidence to support your own argument and are just claiming that something is true or false because no evidence has been discovered yet. This is not a good way to win a debate.
- Research more about your topic instead of claiming that the opposite is true or false with little evidence. Then, you will be able to support your claim strongly.
- Instead of claiming that the Illuminati doesn't exist because there's no evidence to say otherwise, list the reasons why it doesn't exist. Gather research to say why it doesn't exist instead of saying that there's no evidence that it does exist.
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5

Circular Reasoning

1
Identify circular reasoning. Circular reasoning is when someone doesn't prove their stance on something; they just "circle" back to where they started. This doesn't prove anything and is just stating the argument they just said. ^{[8]XResearch source}
- Example: Milk is good for you since it is a healthy drink.
- Example: America's the best place to live since other countries are terrible.
- Example: Adolf Hitler was a terrible person because everyone hates him.
2
Avoid using circular reasoning in your argument. Circular reasoning loops your argument and doesn't prove anything at all. It is not effective in proving your stance.
- Gather more evidence and reasoning to support your argument. These help with your argument and can make your claim seem believable.
- For example, saying that broccoli is healthy because it's good for you doesn't prove anything. Something that is healthy is good for you, which is a circular argument. Instead, research about how broccoli contains healthy vitamins and nutrients, and how these can do good to your body.
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6

False Cause

1
Identify a false cause fallacy. This is a pretty common fallacy. This is the reasoning that because two things happened together, one of them caused the other. This is untrue, and correlation does not equal causation. It might be a total coincidence that two things happened at around the same time. ^{[9]XResearch source}
- Example: My neighbor is terrible! When they moved in, a heavy downpour of rain caused my plants to become ruined!
- Example: Vegetables are unhealthy for you. When I ate a lot of carrots and celery in my salad the other day, I got a stomachache!
- Example: If I didn't go to my friend's house, I wouldn't have gotten a broken leg.
2
Avoid using a false cause fallacy in your argument. This has been proven to be a bad way of arguing, since it is simply untrue. Other things could've caused A to happen, and it just so happens that A and B happen together.
- Look into other ways that the event happened. You might've gotten a broken leg at home, and not just at your friend's house.
- Research more about your stance instead of blaming two unrelated things together. Just because a person was inaugurated president on the day you got into an accident doesn't mean that the person is bad or gives you bad luck. Research on other bad traits of the person. For example, they might be known as a playboy, with many mistresses. They might enjoy saying controversial ideas or make irrational decisions.
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7

False Choice/False Dilemma

1
Identify a false choice or dilemma. This is when someone thinks there are only 2 choices to one problem. In reality, there are multiple choices to think about.
- Example: Either you eat healthy or die.
- Example: There's only two choices; you either become corrupt or homeless.
- Example: Do you love me or hate me?
2
Avoid a false choice or dilemma. Look to see if there are any other options to take. Not all problems have only 2 choices. ^{[10]XResearch source}
- There can be a wide variety of paths or choices; it is not limited to 2.
- For example, there can be a wide variety of choices; not just loving someone or hating someone. You can like someone sexually, romantically, or platonically, so there are more choices than 2.
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8

Hasty Generalization

1
Identify hasty generalization. This is when someone uses only a few weak examples to back up their claim. This is a weak way to support your stance because the examples are few or have other fallacies in them (such as the false cause fallacy). ^{[11]XResearch source}
- Example: All people in my class are bad. Samantha's the rude, popular girl, three boys are in a clique, and all others are boring.
- Example: Internet browsers crash too much these days. Two of mine froze up recently.
- Example: People nowadays are just begging for attention.
2
Avoid hasty generalization. Hasty generalization is usually made when someone uses too little evidence to support their claim. This will not support their argument well, and the other side will easily win.
- Gather more statistics about your stance. Pick a wide variety of sources to back up your claim instead of a few, weak, or irrelevant.
- For example, instead of assuming that all politicians are corrupt, research about good politicians instead, or make your claim so that it doesn't sound condescending. "Politics is getting more corrupt" would be better than blame (like saying "Politicians are all corrupt!")
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9

Red Herring

1
Identify a red herring. Red herrings are a very common logical fallacy. Red herrings are made when someone inserts an irrelevant piece of information to distract the person. They are completely unrelated to the claim and are just ways to confuse the person. They do not help with your argument. ^{[12]XResearch source}
- Example: A asks B if gas cars are bad. B changes the subject to say that gas cars are assembled using a complicated process.
- Example: A: I asked you to finish this assignment by today. Where is it? B: Hey mom, I think my little brother is crying upstairs. I need to see what's going on, so.
2
Avoid using red herrings. These are ineffective ways to argue, since they are just lazy ways to direct the person to a different topic without even arguing or providing information against it.
- Research your topic thoroughly beforehand, and practice arguing with a person to prepare for a debate.
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10

Slippery Slope

1
Identify a slippery slope fallacy. This is caused when someone believes that a small action will cause massive effects. ^{[13]XResearch source}^{[14]XResearch source}
- Example: If I don't go to that party, I'll become a loser! Everyone's gonna laugh at me when I go back to school.
- Example: I'm going to get kicked out of school if I don't get an A on this exam!!
- Example: Climate change will lead to the end of humanity as we know it!
2
Avoid a slippery slope fallacy. Slippery slope fallacies can be simple to avoid, as long as you keep control of your emotions.
- Try not to let emotions take over you. Think logically, and say, "Will this do that much harm?" or "Will this matter in 5 years?"
- Research on your topic and don't make things exaggerated. This will make your claim hard to believe.
- For example, don't say that global warming will cause the end of humanity or some other catastrophic event. State that "Global warming is a serious issue" instead.
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