Fallacy Catalog
Browse logical fallacies, reasoning errors, statistical traps, and cognitive biases.
Explore the video field guideBack to learningAd Hominem
Attacking the person making an argument rather than addressing the argument itself.
Straw Man
Misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack.
False Dilemma
Presenting only two options when more exist.
Appeal to Authority
Using someone's authority as evidence in your argument when the authority is not relevant.
Slippery Slope
Arguing that one event will lead to a chain of negative consequences.
Circular Reasoning
When the conclusion of an argument is used as a premise of that same argument.
Red Herring
Introducing irrelevant information to distract from the actual issue.
Bandwagon
Arguing that something is true because many people believe it.
Appeal to Emotion
Using emotional manipulation instead of logical reasoning.
Hasty Generalization
Drawing a conclusion based on insufficient evidence.
Tu Quoque
Avoiding criticism by turning it back on the accuser.
Appeal to Ignorance
Claiming something is true because it hasn't been proven false.
False Cause
Assuming that because two things happen together, one causes the other.
Appeal to Tradition
Arguing that something is correct because it's always been done that way.
Appeal to Nature
Arguing that something is good because it's natural.
Genetic Fallacy
Judging something as good or bad based on its origin.
Appeal to Consequences
Arguing that a belief is false because accepting it would have unpleasant consequences.
Begging the Question
Using the conclusion as evidence for the conclusion.
No True Scotsman
Dismissing counterexamples by redefining terms to exclude them.
Loaded Question
Asking a question that contains a controversial assumption.
Gambler's Fallacy
Believing that past results affect future probabilities in independent events.
Survivorship Bias
Focusing on successful examples while ignoring failures.
Cherry Picking
Selecting only data that supports your conclusion while ignoring contradictory evidence.
Confirmation Bias
Seeking information that confirms existing beliefs while avoiding contradictory evidence.
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
Assuming that because B followed A, A caused B.
Correlation vs Causation
Assuming correlation implies causation without proper evidence.
Regression Fallacy
Attributing a return to normal performance to an intervention.
Base Rate Fallacy
Ignoring prior probability when making judgments.
Availability Heuristic
Judging likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind.
Anchoring Bias
Over-relying on the first piece of information encountered.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
Continuing a course of action because of previously invested resources.
Appeal to Novelty
Assuming something is better because it's newer.
Appeal to Popularity
Arguing something is true because it's popular.
Appeal to Fear
Using fear to manipulate decision-making.
Appeal to Pity
Using sympathy to support an argument instead of evidence.
Appeal to Flattery
Using compliments to make someone accept your argument.
Burden of Proof
Claiming someone else must disprove your assertion.
Moving the Goalposts
Changing criteria when your argument is challenged.
Texas Sharpshooter
Cherry-picking clusters in data and assigning significance.
Ecological Fallacy
Inferring individual characteristics from group statistics.
Composition Fallacy
Assuming what's true for parts is true for the whole.
Division Fallacy
Assuming what's true for the whole is true for parts.
Equivocation
Using a word with multiple meanings inconsistently in an argument.
Amphiboly
Using ambiguous grammar to mislead.
Accent Fallacy
Changing meaning through emphasis or context removal.
Fallacy of Four Terms
Using a key term with different meanings in a syllogism.
Affirming the Consequent
If P then Q. Q is true. Therefore P is true.
Denying the Antecedent
If P then Q. P is false. Therefore Q is false.
Middle Ground Fallacy
Assuming the truth lies between two extremes.
Perfect Solution Fallacy
Rejecting solutions because they're not perfect.
Special Pleading
Applying different standards to similar situations without justification.
Poisoning the Well
Presenting negative information about someone before they speak.
Argument from Silence
Concluding that something is true because there's no evidence against it or no one has argued against it.
Fallacy Fallacy
Concluding that a claim is false because it was presented with a fallacious argument.
Association Fallacy
Judging something as guilty by association with something else.
Appeal to Extremes
Taking an opponent's argument to its logical extreme to make it seem unreasonable.
False Equivalence
Incorrectly treating two different things as if they were equivalent.
Moral Equivalence
Comparing minor misdeeds with major atrocities as if they were equal.
Nirvana Fallacy
Rejecting a workable solution because it isn't perfect, contrasting reality to an unrealistic ideal.
Continuum Fallacy
Rejecting a classification because boundaries between categories are unclear.
Fallacy of the Single Cause
Assuming there's only one cause for a complex event.
Ambiguity Fallacy
Using unclear language to mislead or avoid taking a position.
Appeal to Common Sense
Claiming something is true because it's 'common sense' without providing evidence.
Appeal to Ridicule
Making an opponent's argument seem ridiculous rather than addressing it seriously.
Appeal to Stone
Dismissing an argument as absurd without demonstrating why it's wrong.
Naturalistic Fallacy
Inferring evaluative conclusions from purely factual premises about what is natural.
Is-Ought Problem
Deriving prescriptive statements from descriptive statements without justification.
Moralistic Fallacy
Inferring factual conclusions from evaluative premises.
Mind Projection Fallacy
Assuming that the way you see the world is the way the world actually is.
Double Standard
Applying different principles to similar situations without justification.
Whataboutism
Deflecting criticism by pointing to similar problems elsewhere.
Non Sequitur
A conclusion that doesn't logically follow from the premises.
False Analogy
Treating two things as sufficiently alike when the relevant differences undermine the comparison.
Anecdotal Fallacy
Using an isolated personal story as if it outweighed systematic evidence.
Argument from Personal Incredulity
Rejecting a claim because it is difficult to understand or imagine.
Appeal to Probability
Assuming that because something could or is likely to happen, it certainly will happen.
Appeal to Force
Using a threat or coercion in place of reasons supporting a conclusion.
Appeal to Motive
Dismissing a claim by speculating about the speaker’s motives instead of evaluating the claim.
Accident Fallacy
Applying a general rule to an exceptional case where the rule does not reasonably fit.
Irrelevant Conclusion
Offering an argument that may establish something, but not the conclusion under discussion.
Undistributed Middle
A syllogism fails because its middle term never refers to all members of the relevant class.
Conjunction Fallacy
Judging a combination of events as more probable than one of the events by itself.
Prosecutor’s Fallacy
Confusing the probability of evidence given innocence with the probability of innocence given that evidence.
Reverse Causation
Mistaking the direction of cause and effect by treating the outcome as the cause.