| Question | Answer |
| post hoc, ergo propter hoc | an argument that credits or blames an event or situation simply because it happened prior to another event.
Latin: after this, therefore because of this |
| false dilemma | arguments that present only two outcomes when three or more outcomes are possible. politicians love these. these fallacies often appeal to fear. |
| appeal to doubtful authority | the treatment of a non-expert as an expert. celebrity endorsements use this fallacy. |
| equivocation | an argument that changes the definition of a word or phrase in the course of an argument |
| hasty or sweepy generalization | an argument that appeals to a sample of examples that is too small. this argument analyzes one person and assumes that all are like that one person (or small group of people) |
| misleading statistic | an argument that uses a fact in isolation. context is king. |
| red herring | an argument switches the focus from the original argument presented. |
| slippery slope | an argument that exaggerates the potential consequences of an event or choice. political ads or some pharmaceutical commercials. |
| straw-man argument | an argument that "misrepresents someone's argument [either intentionally or unintentionally] to make it easier to attack" |
| non sequitur | an argument where the conclusion has no connection to the premises.
Latin: it does not follow |
| false analogy | comparing two ideas or situations that are not fully comparable. these are difficult to catch sometimes because they seem so logical. |
| tu quoque | an argument that attempts to defeat their opponent based on hypocrisy. if the opponent cannot follow his own advice, his advice must be invalid.
Latin: you, too |
| circular reasoning/begging the question | an argument where the major premise is the same (maybe reworded) as the conclusion |
| stereotyping | imposing onto one person a generalization based on a group of individuals who share a common trait |
| ad hominem | an argument "directed against a person [either their character or their qualifications] rather than the position they are maintaining."
Latin: to the man |
