api: YAML JSON TOON Database
version: 1.0.0
format: json
dataset:
  slug: logical-fallacies
  title: Logical Fallacies
  description: Common errors in reasoning.
  summary: A reference list of common logical fallacies, from ad hominem and straw man to false dilemma and circular reasoning, plus red herring, appeal to emotion, bandwagon, post hoc reasoning, hasty generalization, equivocation, tu quoque, no true Scotsman, appeal to nature, the genetic fallacy and more. Each entry names the error and describes the move.
  use_when:
    - You are reviewing an argument and need a precise name for a reasoning error.
    - You are building a critical-thinking exercise.
  caveats:
    - A fallacy is an error of reasoning, not proof that the conclusion is false; a conclusion can be true even when argued badly.
    - Some fallacies depend on context, and appeals to authority or to emotion can be reasonable in some settings.
  related:
    - cognitive-biases
    - epistemology-terms
    - major-philosophers
  category: Philosophy
  category_slug: philosophy
  tags: philosophy,logic,fallacies
  view_count: 0
  entry_count: 20
  fields:
    - section: data
      field: fallacy
      type: string
      example: Ad Hominem
    - section: data
      field: description
      type: string
      example: Attacking the person rather than the argument.
data:
  - fallacy: Ad Hominem
    description: Attacking the person rather than the argument.
  - fallacy: Straw Man
    description: Misrepresenting an opponent's argument.
  - fallacy: False Dilemma
    description: Presenting only two options when more exist.
  - fallacy: Appeal to Authority
    description: Citing authority as sole evidence.
  - fallacy: Slippery Slope
    description: Claiming one event will inevitably lead to others.
  - fallacy: Circular Reasoning
    description: Restating the claim as proof.
  - fallacy: Red Herring
    description: Introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the original issue.
  - fallacy: Appeal to Emotion
    description: Using feelings in place of reasons to persuade.
  - fallacy: Bandwagon (Ad Populum)
    description: Claiming something is true or right because many people believe or do it.
  - fallacy: Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
    description: Assuming that because B followed A, A caused B.
  - fallacy: Hasty Generalization
    description: Drawing a broad conclusion from too few or unrepresentative cases.
  - fallacy: Equivocation
    description: Using a word in two different senses within one argument.
  - fallacy: Tu Quoque
    description: Dismissing a criticism by pointing out that the critic does the same thing.
  - fallacy: No True Scotsman
    description: Protecting a generalization by redefining the group to exclude a counterexample.
  - fallacy: Appeal to Nature
    description: Arguing that something is good because it is natural, or bad because it is not.
  - fallacy: Genetic Fallacy
    description: Judging a claim by its origin instead of by its merits.
  - fallacy: Middle Ground
    description: Assuming the truth lies between two positions simply because they are opposed.
  - fallacy: Appeal to Ignorance
    description: Claiming something is true because it has not been proved false, or the reverse.
  - fallacy: Texas Sharpshooter
    description: Cherry-picking data clusters after the fact to fit a pattern.
  - fallacy: Loaded Question
    description: Asking a question that presupposes something not yet agreed.