1. Chapter 5: Logical Fallacies I
LOGICAL FALLACIES
Logical fallacy: An argument that contains a mistake in reasoning.
2 major groups:
1. Fallacies of relevance
2. Fallacies of insufficient evidence
Fallacies of Relevance
• Mistakes in reasoning that occur because the premises are logically
irrelevant to the conclusions.
1. Personal Attack
2. Attacking the motive
3. Look Who’s Talking (Tu Quoque)
4. Two Wrongs Make a Right
5. Scare Tactics
6. Appeal to Pity
7. Bandwagon Argument
8. Straw Man
9. Red Herring
10. Equivocation
11. Begging the Question
Personal Attack
• When we reject someone’s argument/claim by attacking the person rather
than the person’s argument/claim.
Attacking the Motive
• Error of criticizing a person’s motivation for offering argument/claim, rather
than examining the merit/worth of the argument/claim itself.
Look Who’s Talking (Tu Quoque)
• When we reject someone’s argument because the person fail to practice what
he preaches.
Two Wrongs Make A Right

2. • When an arguer attempts to justify a wrongful act by claiming that some
other act is just as bad or worse.
Scare Tactics
• When an arguer threatens harm to someone if he/she doesn’t accept the
arguer’s conclusion, and this threat is irrelevant to the truth of arguer’s
conclusion.
Appeal to Pity
• When an arguer inappropriately attempts to evoke feelings of pity @
compassion from his listeners/readers.
Bandwagon Argument
• The arguer tries to play on a person’s desire to be popular, accepted, @
valued rather than appealing to logically relevant reasons/evidence.
Straw Man
• When an arguer distorts an opponent’s argument/calim to make it easier to
attack.
Red Herring
• When an arguer tries to sidetrack his audience by raising an irrelevant issue
to settle the original issue.
Equivocation
• When a key word is used in 2 @ more senses in the same argument and the
apparent success of the argument depends on the shift in meaning.
Begging the Question
• When arguer states/assumes the point to be proven.