Classic Logical Fallacies

Straw Man

Replace the other person's real position with a much sillier one, then triumph over the version you invented.

Ad Hominem

Attack the person instead of the argument. It is easier than thinking and feels very decisive for several seconds.

False Dilemma

Pretend there are only two options, usually one absurd and one preferred by the troll.

Whataboutism

When criticism becomes uncomfortable, redirect attention elsewhere and call that a rebuttal.

Slippery Slope

Insist that a modest step will inevitably lead to total collapse, chaos, tyranny, or snacks being outlawed.

Appeal to Popularity

If lots of people believe it, claim that makes it true. By this standard, bad chain emails would be sacred texts.

Appeal to Authority

Quote a confident person, even if they are outside their expertise, and treat that as the end of the matter.

Burden Shifting

Make a shaky claim and then insist everyone else must disprove it for you.

Circular Reasoning

Your conclusion is true because your premise says so, and your premise is true because your conclusion says so. Efficient, if not useful.

Cherry Picking

Ignore the full body of evidence and cling to the one scrap that flatters your position.

Red Herring

Introduce a distracting side issue and act as though it was the real topic all along.

No True Scotsman

When a counterexample appears, redefine the category so the counterexample no longer counts.

Tu Quoque

Respond to criticism by accusing the other person of inconsistency, as if that settles the original issue.

Begging the Question

Smuggle the conclusion into the premise and then admire how inevitable the conclusion now seems.

Hasty Generalization

Observe one or two examples and immediately draw a grand universal rule from them.

Anecdotal Fallacy

Prefer one vivid story over mountains of broader evidence because it feels better that way.

Middle Ground Fallacy

Assume the truth must be halfway between two positions, even when one of those positions is nonsense.

Appeal to Nature

Claim something is good because it is "natural" or bad because it is not, with no further effort.

Genetic Fallacy

Judge a claim entirely by its source or origin instead of its actual merits.

Special Pleading

Demand rigorous standards for everyone else while quietly exempting your own side from them.

Composition and Division

Assume what is true of one part must be true of the whole, or what is true of the whole must be true of every part.

Appeal to Emotion

Substitute outrage, pity, fear, or disgust for an argument and hope nobody notices the switch.

False Equivalence

Treat two things as basically the same because precision would be inconvenient.

Moving the Goalposts

Once evidence appears, change the standard of proof so that success remains permanently out of reach.

Loaded Question

Ask a question that smuggles in an accusation, then act shocked when people object to the framing.

Appeal to Tradition

Insist something should continue simply because it has been around a long time.

Appeal to Novelty

Claim the new thing must be better merely because it is new.

Bandwagon by Association

Attach a position to a tribe, trend, or identity and imply that disagreement is social betrayal.