The Fallacy Detective
Avoiding the Question
 Red Herring Fallacy - introduces an irrelevant point inot an argument. Some may think (or may want us to think) it
proves his side, but it really doesn’t.
 Special Pleading- when someone uses a double standard or argues for an unjustified exception.
 Ad Hominem Attack -is attacking an opponent’s character or his motives for believing something instead of
disapproving his argument
 Genetic Fallacy - is condemning an argument because of where it began, how it began, or who began it. They will
use your background or the background of others.
 Tu Quoque (you too) - is dismissing someone’s viewpoint on an issue because he himself is inconsistent in that
very thing.
 Faulty Appeal to Authority -is an appeal to someone who has no special knowledge in the area being discussed. It
is used as a way to overawe us and make us reluctant to challenge that authority’s viewpoint, he is committing a
faulty appeal to authority. When the topic under discussion is controversial among respected authorities, appealing
simply to the opinion of a single authority is a faulty appeal to authority.
 Appeal to the People - when we claim that our viewpoint is correct because many other people agree with it, we
are committing the appeal to the people fallacy.
 Straw Man - changing or exaggerating an opponent’s position to make it easier to refute.
Making Assumptions