Also Known As… Amphiboly, Semantical Ambiguity, Type-Token Ambiguity, Vagueness, Double Meaning This fallacy occurs when someone uses imprecise language in their argument in order to mislead the audience. Many languages include words that have multiple meanings, and when these words are used in arguments, we must be clear as to the precise definition of the…

Also Known As… Questioning Motives Both a type of Ad Hominem and a type of red herring, this fallacy occurs when an argument is dismissed or supported because of the motives of the one making the claim, not the actual argument itself. Just because someone appears to have questionable motives does not mean that their…

Also Known As… Manifest Destiny, the Special Covenant, dues vult, gott mit uns An extremely dangerous fallacy, this occurs when someone argues a position because it is the “will of God,” thus claiming that God has ordered, supports, or approves of a particular position or action and that it cannot be wrong or questioned. This…

Also Known As… ignoratio elenchi This fallacy occurs when someone presents an argument that appears to address the issue but actually doesn’t. Those who use this fallacy subtly switch arguments from the one at hand to one closely related. For example, if you were attempting to argue the evidence that a particular person has committed…

Also Known As… Favoritism, Compadrismo, “For my friends, Anything” (reverse of Ad Hominem)    The reverse of the “Ad Hominem,” this fallacy argues that a position/idea/argument must be true/good because of a particular individual who is involved. A classic example is investing in a friend’s business even though your friend may not have the skills…

Also Known As… Personal Abuse/Attacks, Damning the Source (a variety of the Ad Hominem) A form of the Ad Homienm (which occurs when you dismiss what an opponent says because who they are), this fallacy takes it a step further by adding insult to the dismissal. Instead of attacking their position, you attack the person,…

Also Known As… Apples and Oranges This fallacy occurs when two things are incorrectly compared so as to draw a false conclusion. No two scenarios or ideas are exactly the same, nor do they so different that there is nothing similar about them. Therefore, all analogies are flawed in some way because otherwise the two…

Also Known As… Fallacy of the Beard, Line Drawing Fallacy, Bald Man Fallacy, Fallacy of the Heap, Fallacy of the Grey, the Sorites Fallacy This fallacy occurs when someone claims that just because a concept exists on a continuum that there really is no difference between the two ideas at the ends of the continuum.…

(Snow Job, Statistical Fallacy, form of Misunderstanding the Nature of Statistics, type of Half-Truth, type of Non Sequitur, type of Red Herring) This fallacy occurs when someone deliberately supports their position using figures, numbers, and statistics that are either irrelevant or presented in a convoluted manner so as to confuse and manipulate others (different from…

Also Known As… Derailment, “Does Not Follow,” Irrelevant Reason, Invalid Inference, Non-support, Argument by Scenario, False Premise, Questionable Premise Literally translating as “does not follow,” this fallacy occurs when the conclusion has no logical connection to the premise. All formal fallacies are a type of non sequitur (including post hoc, hasty generalization, slippery slope, and…