16 Common Logical Fallacies (and how to spot them)
What is a logical fallacy?
Logical fallacies are like bugs in an argument. And people use them because it makes their argument seem strong, but when you actually start to take the argument apart, it’ll begin to hit you like…
Because the logic runs that bad.
So here are 16 logical fallacies to always look out for in any argument.
1. The Burden of Proof Fallacy
This fallacy assumes that just because there isn’t evidence presented against something, that doesn’t automatically make that thing true.
Example:
Gage: “You know I’m just convinced that my dog’s been a squirrel in a previous life. Prove me wrong…You can’t so it’s true.”
2. The Straw Man Fallacy
This happens when someone over-simplifies the issues you’re bringing up or just wildly misrepresents your argument.
Example:
Jane: “It was nice meeting your parents tonight”
Joe: “Yeah, who’d you like more?”
Jane: “Mmm, I think your mom more.”
Joe: “Oh so really must hate my dad”
3. The Bandwagon Fallacy
It’s when someone says something like, “It’s true because a lot of people think that it’s true.”
Which is an irrational argument, because once upon a time, there was a day when all doctors thought that smoking cigarettes was a perfectly healthy thing to do. (Or at least not unhealthy).
Example:
Consider that slavery was also a fashionable practice for hundreds of years. But the fact that it was popular didn’t make it right or true.
4. The Appeal to Authority Fallacy
This means you get an authority figure to back you up to add validity to your argument.
And while it’s not always wrong to have someone with leverage on your side, it doesn’t mean that it’s all you need for a valid argument.
Example:
Lauren: “Hey our company is bleeding money this quarter by promoting a digital product in the yellow pages. What gives?”
Felix: “Ah well yeah, Elon Musk says that yellow pages are the best approach, so we’re gonna keep doing that.”
5. The False Dilemma Fallacy
This happens when someone throws up two extremes as the only options available for you to pick. This is why the fallacy is also referred to as the black or white fallacy. It’s just one or the other — it’s chocolate or vanilla.
And this is ridiculous because in almost every route forward, there’s way more than just two options.
Example:
Ashley: “We can either agree with Phil’s marketing plan, or just let the project go to shit. There is no other option, David!”
David: “Or I can just quit.”
6. The Hasty Generalization Fallacy
This happens when someone jumps to wild conclusions without enough evidence.
Example:
Gage: “Mark Zuckerberg AND Bill Gates dropped out of college and became billionaires, right — so that means that I should drop out of college…because after I do, I’m gonna make IT!”
7. The Slothful Induction Fallacy
Now this is the opposite of the previous one — which is when people are SLOW to come to a conclusion, or simply refuse to come to a conclusion, regardless of how much evidence there is.
Example:
Lucy: “Every time I go to Rio, I get robbed.”
Jade: “Because you wear designer clothes and huge fuckin’ Chanel bag!”
Lucy: “No I think it’s because I attract bad capricorns.”
8. The Correlation/Causation Fallacy
Now this one’s pretty hard to notice sometimes, because it can sound very logical, but when you look below the surface, it’s not.
Essentially what happens is a person mistakes a correlation for a causation.
Example:
John: “I got a promotion at work in July.”
Jessie: “Oh really?”
John: “And I also didn’t floss for the month of July…I must’ve gotten the promotion because I didn’t floss.”
9. The Anecdotal Evidence Fallacy
This occurs when the premise of an argument is solely grounded in anecdotes, meaning their personal experience, and then a conclusion is drawn purely from that experience. Which in itself is…
Example:
And a clear example for when sometimes maybe shit is brought to you by…*drum roll*…hundreds of years of women being seen as witches and burned alive for it.
10. The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy
Basically you shoot at the side of a barn and then paint your target, putting the bullseye on the cluster of bullet holes — and thus proving your expert marksmanship.
This metaphor translates to when a person is hellbent on a conclusion so they work backwards and find data to support that conclusion. (See also confirmation bias).
Example:
Jeremy: “Kanye West would make a great president, he’s so well spoken.”
Meagan: “Uh, did you hear his podcast with Joe Rogan?”
Jeremy: “Did you hear Donda 2?”
11. The Middle Ground Fallacy
As the name indicates, this fallacy assumes that when you compromise two conflicting points, you’ll find the right answer — and this without considering that the two conflicting points can either be entirely true, or entirely false.
Example:
John thinks that the best way to increase sales in the business is to change the product’s look completely, but Jill thinks that any changes will stop all sales. So naturally, the best approach must be to change some of the product’s look.
12. The Personal Incredulity Fallacy
Just because someone or a group of people doesn’t understand why something is true, doesn’t make a claim invalid.
Example:
Devin: “I don’t understand gravity, so it doesn’t exist”
Sarah: “It doesn’t exist??”
Devin: “Yeah, there must be something else holding all this stuff down.”
13. The “No True Scotsman” Fallacy
This is used when an argument heavily relies on a generalization of some sort to make an argument, and so when someone makes a counter-argument, they deflect it by just applying more emphasis on their generalization.
It’s like changing the rules of a game every time you’re losing, just to avoid losing.
Example:
Paul: “No real rock star has ever stayed sober.”
Gage: “Well, Lou Reed actually stayed sober for over 30 years.”
Paul: “Well, no real rock star has ever stayed sober, therefore, Lou Reed ain’t a real rockstar.”
14. The Ad Hominem Fallacy
This one is particularly pathetic.
This fallacy happens when people attack someone on a personal level — like in the way they look — and they do so in order to dismiss that person’s argument entirely, rather than use logic.
Example:
Fil: “Eating a lot of processed sugars is bad for your health.”
Nathan: “Yeah, but you’re a fat ass so, what do you know about health?”
15. The Tu Quoque Fallacy — a.k.a. the “You Also” fallacy
This fallacy is the verbal equivalent of fighting fire with fire, meaning that you answer to criticism with more criticism, instead of addressing it.
Example:
Ashley: “I don’t think Philip should teach this boxing class because he doesn’t have a lot of boxing experience.”
Philip: “Well, you don’t have a lot of boxing experience!”
Ashley: “I know, that’s…not the point.”
16. The Fallacy Fallacy
So ironically, just because someone’s argument sucks and is full of fallacies, it doesn’t necessarily means their conclusion is wrong.
Example:
Mia voted in favor of hiring more sales people because in the last company she was with, it made her job easier (which is an anecdotal fallacy); but because Chris is competing against Mia professionally, he decides to vote down on hiring more sales people — even though the company definitely needs more sales.
