Master List of Logical Fallacies
Scan the full catalogue of fallacies, organised by category, with quick summaries for identification. Use the main fallacy pages for deeper explanations, examples, and counters.
Fallacies of Relevance
Arguments that distract with unrelated information or attacks.
Ad Hominem (Personal Attack)
Attacks the person instead of the claim.
Abusive
Direct insults replace engagement with the argument.
Circumstantial
Dismisses a claim by citing the speaker’s situation or incentives.
Tu quoque
Accuses hypocrisy to dodge the argument.
Guilt by association
Discredits a claim by linking it to an unpopular group.
Poisoning the well
Preemptively discredits a speaker before they present a case.
Appeal to Authority (Argument from Authority)
Treats an authority’s word as proof without evidence.
Misleading appeal to expertise
Cites experts outside their domain or without consensus.
False authority
Uses an unqualified figure as evidence.
Appeal to Emotion
Relies on feelings instead of reasons.
Appeal to fear
Uses threats or scary outcomes to force agreement.
Appeal to pity
Invokes sympathy to win acceptance.
Appeal to flattery
Flatters the audience to bypass scrutiny.
Appeal to spite
Asks for agreement based on resentment.
Appeal to ridicule
Mocks an argument instead of addressing it.
Appeal to Popularity (Bandwagon)
Says a view is true because many believe it.
Appeal to common belief
Uses majority acceptance as proof.
Appeal to tradition
Claims correctness because it’s longstanding.
Appeal to novelty
Claims correctness because it’s new or trendy.
Red Herring
Introduces an irrelevant issue to distract.
Ignoring the question
Avoids the real issue with unrelated points.
Smokescreen
Overwhelms with tangents to hide weak evidence.
Straw Man
Misrepresents a position to attack the weaker version.
Weak man
Attacks the weakest example of an opposing view.
Hollow man
Invents an opponent’s view to knock it down.
Steel man (not a fallacy)
Strengthens an opponent’s view before addressing it.
Genetic Fallacy
Judges a claim true or false based on its origin.
Appeal to Consequences
Claims truth based on desirable or undesirable outcomes.
Appeal to Nature
Asserts something is good because it’s natural.
Moralistic Fallacy
Says something must be true because it ought to be.
Naturalistic Fallacy
Derives an ought from an is without justification.
Fallacy of Composition
Assumes parts’ traits apply to the whole.
Fallacy of Division
Assumes whole’s traits apply to each part.
Fallacies of Weak Induction
Arguments that lean on insufficient or skewed evidence.
Hasty Generalisation
Concludes broadly from too little evidence.
Faulty Analogy
Bases a conclusion on a weak comparison.
False Cause / Causal Fallacies
Claims causation without showing it.
Correlation ≠ causation
Treats correlation as proof of cause.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Assumes earlier event caused the later one.
Cum hoc ergo propter hoc
Assumes simultaneous events cause each other.
Third variable fallacy
Ignores a hidden factor causing both effects.
Reversed causation
Mixes up cause and effect direction.
Spurious correlation
Links unrelated trends as if caused.
Slippery Slope
Predicts an extreme chain without evidence.
Gambler’s Fallacy
Thinks past random events change future odds.
Texas Sharpshooter (Cherry-picking)
Picks data after the fact to fit a claim.
Anecdotal Fallacy
Relies on personal stories instead of data.
Misleading Vividness
Uses a striking case to outweigh statistics.
Fallacies of Presumption
Arguments that smuggle in assumptions or false frames.
Begging the Question (Circular Reasoning)
Uses the conclusion as a premise.
False Dilemma (Black-or-White)
Presents two options when more exist.
Excluded middle
Ignores middle-ground possibilities.
False dichotomy
Forces a binary choice without basis.
Loaded Question
Frames a question with a built-in accusation.
Complex Question
Bundles multiple assumptions into one question.
False Premise
Builds an argument on an untrue starting point.
Oversimplification
Reduces a complex issue to a single cause.
Suppressed Evidence
Omits key information that changes the case.
No True Scotsman
Redefines a group to dismiss counterexamples.
Biased Sample
Draws conclusions from an unrepresentative group.
Ludic Fallacy
Applies neat models to messy reality without care.
Fallacies of Ambiguity
Arguments that exploit unclear wording or syntax.
Equivocation
Shifts a word’s meaning mid-argument.
Amphiboly
Leverages ambiguous grammar for a claim.
Accent Fallacy
Changes meaning through emphasis or tone.
Fallacy of Division
Assumes whole’s traits apply to each part.
Reification
Treats abstractions as concrete things.
Straw Man (linguistic aspect)
Misstates wording to attack a weaker reading.
Formal Fallacies
Structural errors that invalidate deductive arguments.
Affirming the Consequent
If A then B; B, so A (invalid form).
Denying the Antecedent
If A then B; not A, so not B (invalid).
Undistributed Middle
Fails to link two categories properly.
Illicit Major / Illicit Minor
Overextends a term’s scope in a syllogism.
Fallacy of Four Terms
Introduces an extra term, breaking the syllogism.
Modal Fallacy
Confuses possibility, necessity, or actuality.
Quantifier Shift
Swaps scope of ‘all’ and ‘some’ incorrectly.
Existential Fallacy
Assumes existence from universal premises.
Statistical & Scientific Fallacies
Misuses of data, sampling, and inference.
Survivorship Bias
Focuses on successes and ignores failures.
Selection Bias
Chooses cases in a way that skews results.
Sampling Bias
Sample is not representative of the population.
Publication Bias
Findings are skewed by what gets published.
Ecological Fallacy
Applies group-level stats to individuals.
Simpson’s Paradox (misread)
Trends reverse when groups combine; misread as contradiction.
Base Rate Fallacy
Ignores base rates when judging probabilities.
Prosecutor’s Fallacy
Mixes conditional probabilities in legal reasoning.
Regression Fallacy
Ignores regression to the mean in outcomes.
Masked Relationship Fallacy
Misses effects hidden by another variable.
Interpolation / Extrapolation Fallacy
Assumes trends continue outside observed data.
Rhetorical Fallacies
Persuasion tactics dressed as logic.
Whataboutism (Tu quoque variant)
Deflects criticism by pointing elsewhere.
Thought-Terminating Cliché
Uses a stock phrase to end discussion.
Deepity
Statement that sounds profound but is trivial or false.
Glittering Generalities
Vague praise meant to provoke approval.
Dogwhistles
Phrases with hidden messages to a subgroup.
Virtue Signalling
Displays virtue to gain approval, not to argue.
Appeal to Motive
Attacks or assumes motive instead of evidence.
Appeal to Hypocrisy
Points out inconsistency to dismiss a claim.
Appeal to Ignorance
Says a claim is true because unproven false (or vice versa).
Appeal to Complexity
Claims an issue is too complex to assess well.
Appeal to Common Practice
Says something is acceptable because ‘everyone does it.’
Appeal to Wealth / Appeal to Poverty
Treats wealth or poverty as proof of correctness.
Argumentum ad crumenam
Assumes the rich person is right.
Argumentum ad lazarum
Assumes the poor person is right.
Strategic Misdirection & Propaganda
Techniques to overwhelm, distort, or mislead audiences.
Gaslighting
Undermines someone’s grasp of reality to win control.
Firehose of Falsehood
Rapid, continuous spread of many misleading claims.
Card Stacking
Presents only the evidence that supports one side.
False Balance
Gives unequal views equal weight to seem impartial.
Half-Truth
Presents partly true statements to mislead.
Quote Mining
Uses quotes out of context to misrepresent.
Scapegoating
Blames a person or group to deflect responsibility.
Oversimplification
Boils complex issues down to a single cause.
Decision-Making & Cognitive Fallacies
Biases and shortcuts that warp judgment and choices.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
Continues a commitment because of past investment.
Appeal to Probability
Assumes something will happen because it can happen.
Appeal to Normality
Claims something is acceptable because it is common.
Planning Fallacy
Underestimates time or resources needed.
Hot Hand Fallacy
Assumes success streaks will continue.
Authority Bias
Overweights authority figures in judgments.
Confirmation Bias
Favors information that confirms preconceptions.