| A | B |
|---|
| strawman | misrepresenting or oversimplifying an argument to make it easier to attack |
| false cause / post hoc ergo propter hoc | presuming that a real or perceived relationship between things means that one is the cause of the other |
| slippery slope | asserting that if one allows A to happen, then B (and so on) will consequently happen too; therefore, A should not happen |
| ad hominem | attacking one's character or personal traits in an attempt to undermine their argument; personal attacks, not attacks on the argument |
| loaded question | asking a question that has an assumption built into it so that it can't be answered without appearing guilty |
| bandwagon / ad populum | appealing to popularity or the fact that many people do something as an attempted form of validation / If everyone is doing it (thinking it, saying it), it must be right |
| black-or-white / false dichotomy | two alternatives are presented as the only two possibilities, when in fact more possibilities exist |
| begging the question | a circular argument in which the conclusion is included in the premise |
| appeal to nature | making the argument that because something is "natural" is is therefore valid, justified, inevitable, good, or ideal |
| appeal to authority | using the opinion or position of an authority figure, or institution of authority, in place of an actual argument |
| composition / division | assuming that what is true about one part of something has to be applied to all, or other, parts of it |
| anecdotal | using personal experiences or an isolated example instead of a valid argument, especially to dismiss statistics |
| appeal to emotion | manipulating an emotional response in place of a valid or compelling argument |
| personal incredulity | saying that because one finds something difficult to understand that it is therefore not true |
| burden of proof | saying that the burden of proof lies not with the person making the claim, but with someone else to disprove it |
| ambiguity / equivocation | using double meanings or ambiguities of language to mislead or misrepresent the truth |
| no true scotsman | making what could be called an appeal to purity as a way to dismiss relevant criticisms or flaws of an argument |
| genetic | judging something good or bad on the basis of where it comes from, or from whom it comes |
| the texas sharpshooter | cherry-picking data clusters to suit an argument, or finding a pattern to fit a presumption |
| middle ground | saying that a compromise, or middle point, between two extremes is the truth or best solution |
| red herring | a fallacy in which an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue. The basic idea is to "win" an argument by leading attention away from the argument and to another topic |
| appeal to ignorance | the fallacy that a proposition is true simply on the basis that it has not been proved false or that it is false simply because it has not been proved true. |
| hasty generalization | drawing a conclusion based on a small sample size, rather than looking at statistics that are much more in line with the typical or average situation. |
| weak analogy | when a comparison is used to prove or disprove an argument, but the comparison is too dissimilar to be effective, that is, it is unlike the argument more than it is like the argument. |
| ethos | the credibility of the presenter of the information |
| pathos | emotional arguments |
| logos | logical arguments |
| assertion | a positive statement or declaration, often without support or reason |
| claim | an assertion |
| evidence | support for one's claim |
| counterargument / objection | an assertion from an opposing viewpoint with evidence |
