A student takes 10 practice tests and scores low on most of them, but does really well on one
They say, “See? I’m naturally great at this subject!”
Texas Sharpshooter
Person A: We should have less homework so students can sleep more”
Person B: “So you’re saying students shouldn’t have to do any work at all?”
Strawman
Student “All Honor students are responsible”
Friend: “But Jake is an honor student and he skips class.”
Student “Well, no real Honor student would skip class”
No True Scotsman
“Red has come up 6 times. Black is due!”
A basketball player makes 4 shots in a row
“They’re hot, they can’t miss right now”
Gambler or Hot Hand
“you can’t prove that aliens didn’t build the pyramids, therefore they did”
” I Our candidate lost because of voter fraud- prove me wrong”
Burden of Proof
” Have you stopped cheating on your taxes”
Why do you hate freedom”
Loaded Question
Person A: “We shouldn’t ban homework because my cousin says homework builds character.”
Person B: “Thats a bad readon, so homework should be banned”
The Fallacy Fallacy
“You should apot this puppy because it’s so sad and lonely in thr shelter”
Appeal to Emotion
“Dr. Matthew, a renowned dentist, agrees that this painting is far superior to yours”
“My favorite actor, who starred in a movie about a virus, said that genetically modified crops caused COVID-19”
Appeal to Authority
“Reading is essential because it’s important to read
Begging the Question
“You’re wrong about the budget cuts because you’re an arrogant jerk”
Ad Hominem
“Ice cream sales and crime rates both rise in summer, so eating ice cream causes crime”
False Cause
(Post hoc ergo propter hoc)
“If you don’t get an A in this class, you won’t get in to a good college, and then you’ll never get a good job
Slippery Slope
“Everyone is getting the new smartphone, so you should too”
“Smoking must be safe because millions of people have been doing it for years”
Ad Populum or “Bandwagon”
Person A “You shouldn’t smoke, its very unhealthy
Person B: “But you smoke! Therefore your argument is wrong”
Tu Quoque
“My grandfather smoked a pack a day and lived to be 97, so I don’t believe that smoking causes cancer”
“I didn’t do any marketing for my shop, and I sold a lot, so you don’t need a marketing strategy”
Anecdotal
“If every player on the team is the best in their position, then this is the best team” (ignores teamwork)
Composition/Division
“This medicine is bad for you because it’s made in a lab. You should only use natural remedies”
Appeal To Nature
“The car is terrible because Volkswagen was founded by the Nazis”
“I don’t trust that article, it came from the news outlet I dislike”
Genetic
“Officer, I know I shouldn’t speed, but I’m late for work!”
Special Pleading
“I don’t understand how a heavy metal airplane can stay in the air, so I don’t believe planes can actually fly”
“There is no way a fish could turn into a human over millions of years. It just doesn’t make sense to me”
Personal Incredulity
Person A: “The sky is blue
Person B: “Sky is Yellow”
Let’s compromise and say the sky is green
Middle Ground
“The sign said ‘Fine for parking here,’ so I parked there because it was fine”
Ambiguity
“You’re either a patriot or a traitor”
“If you don’t support this specific policy, you don’t care about our safety”
Black or White
