Logical Fallacies

Question 1

Misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack.

Answer 1

Strawman

Question 2

Presuming that a real or perceived relationship between things means that one is the cause of the other.

Answer 2

False Cause

Question 3

Manipulating an emotional response in place of a valid or compelling argument

Answer 3

Appeal to emotion

Question 4

Presuming that because a claim has been poorly argued, or a fallacy has been made, it is wrong.

Answer 4

The fallacy fallacy

Question 5

Asserting that if we allow A to happen then Z will consequently happen too, therefore A should not happen.

Answer 5

Slippery Slope

Question 6

Attacking your opponent’s character or personal traits in an attempt to undermine their argument.

Answer 6

Ad hominem

Question 7

Avoiding having to engage with criticism by turning it back on the accuser- answering criticism with criticism.

Answer 7

Tu Quoque

Question 8

Saying that because one finds something difficult to understand that it’s therefore not true.

Answer 8

Personal Incredulity

Question 9

Moving the goalposts to create exceptions when a claim is shown to be false

Answer 9

Special Pleading

Question 10

Asking a question that has a loaded assumption built into it so it can’t be answered without appearing guilty

Answer 10

Loaded Question

Question 11

Saying that the burden of proof lies not with the person making the claim, but with someone else to disprove

Answer 11

Burden of proof

Question 12

Using double meanings of language to mislead or misrepresent the truth

Answer 12

Ambiguity

Question 13

Believing that runs occur to statistically independent phenomena such as roulette wheel spins

Answer 13

The gambler’s fallacy

Question 14

Appealing to popularity or the fact that many people do something as an attempted form of validation

Answer 14

Bandwagon

Question 15

Using the opinion or position of an authority figure or institution of authority in place of an actual argument

Answer 15

Appeal to authority

Question 16

Assuming that what’s true about one part of something has to be applied to all, or other parts of it

Answer 16

Composition/Division

Question 17

Making what could be called an appeal to purity as a way to dismiss relevant criticisms or flaws of an argument.

Answer 17

No true scotsman

Question 18

Judging something good or bad on the basis of where it comes from, or from whom it comes.

Answer 18

Genetic

Question 19

Where two alternative states are presented as the only possibilities, when in fact more possibilities exist.

Answer 19

Black-or-white

Question 20

A circular argument in which the conclusion is included in the premise.

Answer 20

Begging the question

Question 21

Making the argument that because something is ‘natural’ it is therefore valid, justified, inevitable, good, or ideal

Answer 21

Appeal to nature

Question 21

Using personal experiences or an isolated example instead of a valid argument, especially to dismiss statistics.

Answer 21

Anecdotal

Question 22

Saying that a compromise, or middle point, between two extremes is the truth

Answer 22

Middle ground

Question 22

Cherry-picking data clusters to suit an argument, or finding a pattern to fit a presumption.

Answer 22

The Texas sharpshooter