Fallacy Lab

Overview image for Fallacy Lab

Fallacy Lab Logical fallacies are flaws in reasoning that make an argument weaker than it first appears. They matter because they can make a poor claim sound persuasive, especially in essays, debates, advertising, political speech, social media posts and everyday disagreements. 241 pages

Overview image for When Personal Attacks Replace Reasons | Logical Fallacies

Ad Hominem When Personal Attacks Replace Reasons Ad hominem arguments shift attention from the claim to the person, often making disagreement less rational.

Overview image for How Ads Make Weak Claims Persuasive | Logical Fallacies

Advertising How Ads Make Weak Claims Persuasive Advertising often uses fallacy-like shortcuts that make products feel better supported than the evidence allows.

Overview image for When Is a Story Not Enough? | Logical Fallacies

Anecdotes When Is a Story Not Enough? Personal stories can be meaningful but become weak support when used as broad proof without other evidence.

Overview image for Can You Map the Reasoning? | Logical Fallacies

Argument Map Can You Map the Reasoning? Argument mapping helps separate claims, reasons and assumptions so weak links become easier to see.

Overview image for When Should You Trust an Expert? | Logical Fallacies

Authority When Should You Trust an Expert? Expert opinion can help, but it becomes weak support when expertise is irrelevant, overstated or treated as final.

Overview image for How Much Evidence Is Enough? | Logical Fallacies

Bad Samples How Much Evidence Is Enough? Hasty generalisations draw big conclusions from too little evidence or from examples that are not representative.

Overview image for Are You Being Pressured to Join? | Logical Fallacies

Bandwagon Are You Being Pressured to Join? Bandwagon arguments pressure people to agree by suggesting that everyone else is already on board.

Overview image for Is the Argument Proving Itself? | Logical Fallacies

Circularity Is the Argument Proving Itself? Circular reasoning restates the conclusion as support, leaving the real question unanswered.

Overview image for When Is It Really a Fallacy? | Logical Fallacies

Context When Is It Really a Fallacy? The same argument form can be reasonable in one setting and misleading in another because context changes the support.

Overview image for Will One Extension Ruin the Rules? | Logical Fallacies

Deadlines Will One Extension Ruin the Rules? Deadline arguments show how one exception can be framed as disaster without evidence for each later step.

Overview image for How to Spot Fallacies in Debate | Logical Fallacies

Debate How to Spot Fallacies in Debate Debates make fallacies tempting because speakers must answer quickly while persuading an audience.

Overview image for When Does Emotion Replace Evidence? | Logical Fallacies

Emotion When Does Emotion Replace Evidence? Emotional appeals are not always fallacious, but they mislead when emotion substitutes for relevant support.

Overview image for Did the Key Word Change Meaning? | Logical Fallacies

Equivocation Did the Key Word Change Meaning? Equivocation happens when an argument relies on a word changing meaning without making the shift clear.

Overview image for How Fallacies Weaken Student Essays | Logical Fallacies

Essays How Fallacies Weaken Student Essays Fallacies in essays weaken credibility because the evidence does not connect cleanly to the thesis.

Overview image for What Evidence Is the Argument Missing? | Logical Fallacies

Evidence Gaps What Evidence Is the Argument Missing? Many fallacies work by making thin or missing evidence feel stronger than it really is.

Overview image for Did One Thing Really Cause Another? | Logical Fallacies

False Cause Did One Thing Really Cause Another? Post hoc reasoning mistakes sequence for causation when other explanations may fit the same events.

Overview image for What Choices Are Being Hidden? | Logical Fallacies

False Dilemma What Choices Are Being Hidden? False dilemmas make complex choices look like only two extremes when practical alternatives may exist.

Overview image for When the Structure Makes Reasoning Fail | Logical Fallacies

Formal Logic When the Structure Makes Reasoning Fail Formal fallacies show how an argument can fail even when its individual statements sound plausible.

Overview image for What Does Missing Evidence Prove? | Logical Fallacies

Ignorance What Does Missing Evidence Prove? Appeal to ignorance turns a gap in evidence into proof unless the missing evidence would reasonably be expected.

Overview image for Why Context Changes the Argument | Logical Fallacies

Informal Logic Why Context Changes the Argument Informal fallacies depend on context, wording, relevance and evidence rather than a fixed logical form.

Overview image for When Fallacy Labels Mislead Too | Logical Fallacies

Labels When Fallacy Labels Mislead Too Calling something a fallacy does not prove its conclusion false or end the need for analysis.

Overview image for What Is the Wording Sneaking In? | Logical Fallacies

Loaded Words What Is the Wording Sneaking In? Loaded wording can smuggle assumptions into an argument before the evidence has been examined.

Overview image for Are Definitions Moving to Escape Evidence? | Logical Fallacies

No True Are Definitions Moving to Escape Evidence? The no true Scotsman move protects a general claim by redefining membership whenever counterexamples appear.

Overview image for Is New Always Better? | Logical Fallacies

Novelty Is New Always Better? Appeal to novelty assumes newer ideas, tools or policies are better simply because they are recent.

Overview image for Are Phone Rules Really All or Nothing? | Logical Fallacies

Phones Are Phone Rules Really All or Nothing? School phone debates show how false dilemmas can hide practical middle-ground policy options.

Overview image for How Public Arguments Go Off Track | Logical Fallacies

Politics How Public Arguments Go Off Track Political arguments often mix emotion, identity and evidence, making relevance and support especially important.

Overview image for Does Belief Make a Claim True? | Logical Fallacies

Popularity Does Belief Make a Claim True? Appeal to popularity treats widespread belief as proof, even though popularity and truth are different questions.

Overview image for Is This Point Actually Relevant? | Logical Fallacies

Red Herring Is This Point Actually Relevant? Red herrings introduce interesting but irrelevant material that avoids the question being asked.

Overview image for Does This Reason Actually Matter? | Logical Fallacies

Relevance Does This Reason Actually Matter? Relevance tests ask whether a reason actually bears on the conclusion rather than merely sounding persuasive.

Overview image for Do Popular Remedies Prove Themselves? | Logical Fallacies

Remedies Do Popular Remedies Prove Themselves? Claims about remedies often confuse popularity, anecdotes and missing disproof with reliable evidence.

Overview image for Why Rumours Feel Like Evidence | Logical Fallacies

Rumours Why Rumours Feel Like Evidence Rumours often rely on ignorance, popularity or weak causal links instead of verifiable support.

Overview image for Did the Answer Address Safety? | Logical Fallacies

Safety Claims Did the Answer Address Safety? Corporate responses can dodge safety questions by shifting attention to unrelated good deeds or brand messages.

Overview image for Will One Step Really Lead There? | Logical Fallacies

Slippery Slope Will One Step Really Lead There? Slippery slope arguments need evidence that each step in the predicted chain is likely, not just possible.

Overview image for Why Bad Arguments Spread Fast Online | Logical Fallacies

Social Media Why Bad Arguments Spread Fast Online Social media can reward quick, emotional and simplified arguments before their reasoning is checked.

Sports Cause Did the Logo Cause the Losing Streak? Sports superstitions show how timing can be mistaken for cause when performance has many possible explanations.

Overview image for Are You Answering the Real Argument? | Logical Fallacies

Straw Man Are You Answering the Real Argument? A straw man replaces a real position with an easier target, making disagreement look simpler than it is.

Overview image for Is Tone the Same as Logic? | Logical Fallacies

Tone Is Tone the Same as Logic? An argument can be impolite yet relevant, or polite yet logically weak, so tone alone is not the test.

Overview image for Is Old the Same as Right? | Logical Fallacies

Tradition Is Old the Same as Right? Appeal to tradition treats age or familiarity as proof that a practice is correct or still justified.

Overview image for Does Hypocrisy Refute the Claim? | Logical Fallacies

Tu Quoque Does Hypocrisy Refute the Claim? Tu quoque replies point to inconsistency in the speaker, but that does not automatically answer the claim.

Overview image for Why One Explanation Is Not Enough | Logical Fallacies

Wet Pavement Why One Explanation Is Not Enough Affirming the consequent shows why one possible explanation is not the same as the only explanation.

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Amazon book picks

Further Reading

The essential shelf on fallacies and clear thinking — the compendiums that catalogue the tricks, and the classics on why smart minds still fall for them. Each report carries picks tied to its own subject.

Book

Cover for How to Win Every Argument

How to Win Every Argument

By Madsen Pirie

Directly covers fallacious argumentative moves, including techniques that resemble tu quoque and whataboutist deflection.

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Cover for An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments

An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments

By Ali Almossawi

Helps readers quickly recognize when an argument shifts attention away from the original claim.

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Cover for Thinking, Fast and Slow

Thinking, Fast and Slow

By Daniel Kahneman

Explains cognitive biases and flawed reasoning patterns that help audiences understand why deflections and whataboutism can be persuasive.

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Cover for The Scout Mindset

The Scout Mindset

By Julia Galef

Focuses on intellectual honesty and trustworthy belief formation.

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