Ad Hominem
One of the most common and pettiest fallacies known to humanity. This fallacy occurs when the traits of the person holding a position are attacked rather than the merits of the argument they make. It can also be used against organizations or institutions.
Slippery slope.
A pervasive fallacy that regularly fools millions. This is the argument that if one action is taken another, absurd or undesirable, action will inevitably follow. Therefore, we ought to not take that first step.
Example
If we let women vote, the next thing you know we’ll let animals vote!
This argument can be hard to spot but always relies on the idea that one event will necessarily follow from another. The fallacy lies in that some actions are not connected by necessity but are presented as such.
Strawman Argument
This fallacy occurs when another argument is exaggerated or presented bizarrely in an attempt to discredit it. Other times, a position that nobody holds will be presented as the one held by an opponent, and that position will be attacked in place of their actual one.
Example
Person One:
I think people should eat fewer fatty hamburgers.
Person two:
You don’t think people should eat meat? Are you trying to put farmers out of work? Trying to disrespect the culture and work of barbeque chiefs everywhere? You vegetarians and your moralizing, soon you’ll complain when people drink water!
As you can see, the second person misrepresented the point person one made and then attacked that point. By exaggerating the first person’s position, they have created a strawman which is easier to attack than the first person’s real stances. The original argument is ignored and not disproven.
False Dilemma
We are given two options, one much worse than the other. It is then said or heavily implied that we must select the option that is the lesser evil. Potential third options are left out.
Ad Populum
Also known as the bandwagon appeal, this is the false claim that what is popular is good.
False Equivalence
This fallacy is when two stances are presented as equivalent when they are not. During campaigns, you will often hear people comparing two candidates using this fallacy.
