Logical fallacy

Logical fallacies are erroneous, illogical, or misleading arguments or claims

• erroneous = contains an error of fact or
• illogical = draws a conclusion not supported by premises
• misleading = deliberately constructed to deceive or mislead

See Social Studies skills: Logical and observational fallacies for list of logical and observational fallacies regarding the Social Sciences.

Logical fallacies and tricks

• begging the question
• broken leg fallacy
  • presents a solution for a problem caused by that or a related solution
  • i.e, break the leg, then offer to fix it
• confusing credentials for evidence
  • i.e., "98% of dentists recommend flossing"
    • does not provide evidence for the benefits of flossing, just that supposed experts say so
• fallacy of relevance
• ignoratio elenchi an argument that misses the point
• non sequitur
  • " Humpty Dumptying" or "Humpty Dumptyisms":
  • = an "arbitrary redefinition" like that used by Humpty Dumpty in "Alice in Wonderland"
  • who tells Alice, "“When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
• red herring
• strawman fallacy
  • = the target of an argument (the "strawman") has nothing to do with the actual argument
• either-or fallacy
  • incorrectly argues only two options or possibilities
• see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies

See also

• Rhetorical analysis