red herring logical fallacy hillary clinton

Once someone uses it, it’s only a matter of time until they try other drugs like heroin. (Not every slippery slope argument is fallacious, only when there are insufficient reasons to believe that something is inevitable.) Slippery SlopeĪ form of non sequiter that occurs when someone asserts that once X happens, Y will inevitably follow from X, which usually involves extremes and exaggeration. Therefore, Ahura Mazda is all knowing and infallible. We know this because the Zoroastrian scriptures tell us so. Person 2: “You think everyone should be forced to own a gun.” Begging The Questionīegging the question happens when someone assumes as true what they are trying to prove, which often happens with deeply ingrained beliefs.Īhura Mazda is all knowing and infallible. Person 1: “I believe in the right to self defense.”

Occurs when one person tries to misrepresent their opponent’s argument by failing to address the issue in question. Red HerringĪlso known as: Strawman argument, missing the point Appeal to PopularityĪlso known as: Bandwagon or peer pressureĪ favorite device of marketers and propagandists, this fallacy is an overture to what is popular and is really more about inspiring enthusiasm rather than constructing a good argument, since most people are concerned about what the majority thinks.Īlmost everybody uses social media. Parents have been spanking children for thousands of years, so spanking is not harmful. Appeal to TraditionĪrguing that just because something is traditional or has been done a certain way for a long time, that it must be valid. It must be safe for biotech companies to spray. Usually there is a missing step or two required to reach the desired conclusion.īiotech companies are spraying pesticides on crops in this area. Person 2: “You are xenophobic and intolerant.” Does Not FollowĪ non sequitur occurs when an argument’s conclusion does not follow from its premises, or the conclusion is irrelevant. Person 1: “Britain should leave the European Union because it undermines national sovereignty.” Personal attacks are irrelevant because flinging insults has no bearing on the truth of a person’s argument. The personal attack fallacy has to do with smearing the character of a person making a claim, rather than addressing the actual issue being debated. Person 1: “Well, MacDonald isn’t a real Scotsman.” Attacking the personĪlso known as: sophism, poisoning the well Person 2: “MacDonald doesn’t like haggis.” No True Scotsman FallacyĪ claim that a person can’t be part of a certain group unless they have particular characteristics – an attempt to omit relevant counter examples which might disprove an argument by continually moving the goalposts. So here’s a list of 11 common fallacies, which along with their names in Latin and examples, will help you make better arguments, and identify weak ones. You won’t be easy prey for propagandists and marketers.Identify attempts to skirt the boundaries of civil debate or gain the upper hand with an unsuspecting audience.Point out when someone else has made an obvious error in reasoning.

Question your subjective social perspectives (known as cognitive biases in psychology).Examine your own assumptions about the world and various issues.Here are a few of the benefits you will gain from knowing about logical fallacies: Not only will it help you fine tune your own thought-making processes and critical thinking, it will also help you identify the ways in which people ( especially politicians and the media) use fallacies to play tricks with your thoughts and bend the facts for their own purposes. It’s good to be able to identify the most common fallacies. 11 of the most common logical fallacies.

Red herring logical fallacy hillary clinton