Formal & Red Herring Fallacies

Dated Sep 6, 2016; last modified on Mon, 05 Sep 2022

Argument from Consequences

If God does not exist, then everything is permitted.

Straw Man

The essence of this technique is to caricature a position to make it easier to attack.

My opponent is trying to convince you that we evolved from chimpanzees who were swinging from trees, a truly ludicrous claim.

Environmentalists care more for snail darters and spotted owls than they do for people.

Appeal to Fear

You should give me all your valuables before the police get here. They will end up putting them in the storeroom, and things tend to get lost in the storeroom.

Genetic Fallacy

As men and women living in the twenty-first century, we cannot continue to hold these Bronze Age beliefs.

Ad Hominem

You don’t really care about lowering crime in the city; you just want people to vote for you.

Appeal to Hypocrisy

Although they protested against capitalism, they continued to use smartphones and buy coffee.

Appeal to Irrelevant Authority

Astrology was practiced in ancient China, one of the most technologically advanced civilizations of the day.

Guilt by Association

My opponent is calling for a healthcare system that would resemble that of socialist countries.

Affirming the Consequent

People who go to college are successful. John is successful, hence he must have gone to college.

Appeal to the Bandwagon

All the cool kids use this hair gel; be one of them.

References

  1. An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments: Chapter 2. Formal & Red Herring Fallacies. Ali Almossawi. bookofbadarguments.com . Dec 5, 2013. ISBN: 978-0989931205 .
  2. The Fine Art of Baloney Detection. Sagan, Carl. www.inf.fu-berlin.de . 1996.