Chapter 2
Spotting bad arguments
A fallacy is an argument that sounds convincing but doesn't hold up. Some attack the person instead of the point, some twist the other side's view, and some squeeze a complicated choice into just two options. You'll hear them in ads, debates, comment sections and family dinners, and naming them is the first step to answering them calmly. Nobody is immune, experts included, but knowing the names makes the traps much easier to notice, in yourself as well as in others.
10 cards
See the 10 cards
- Attacking the person instead of their argumentAd hominem
- Twisting someone's view into an easier one to attackStraw man
- Offering only two options when there are moreFalse dilemma
- Claiming one small step will lead to disasterSlippery slope
- Two things happen together, so one must cause the otherConfusing correlation with causation
- Changing the subject to distract from the pointRed herring
- Using the conclusion as its own proofCircular reasoning
- 'An expert said so', about a field that isn't theirsAppeal to authority
- Natural must mean good, and artificial badAppeal to nature
- Who has to back up a claimThe person making it