Fallacies

• Begging the Question:

Murder is wrong because it means you killed someone.

• Ad Hominem:

Can you believe he’s speaking at a leadership conference where everyone’s college graduates and he never attended college? I can’t listen to this guy.

• Equivocation:

If laws can be broken, and gravity is a law, then gravity isn’t as strong as we think.

• Slippery Slope:

John needs gas before he drives from Rancho to Natomas for an interview.

If he risks the drive without getting gas during rush hour, he risks running out of gas on the way.

If he runs out of gas he’ll miss his interview.

Therefore, if John misses his interview, he misses the opportunity for a great paying job.

If John misses the opportunity, he’s now still jobless and out of gas on the side of the freeway.

• Straw Man:

Girlfriend: You’re always so busy! I wish you would spend more time with me.

Boyfriend: If I stop being busy, we won’t be able to have a house because we’ll be financially unstable because I won’t be working as much as I am now, therefore our debts won’t be paid and we’ll be unhappy. If you want us to be happy, I have stay busy.

• Tu Quoque:

Person 1: It’s is so important to make sure that loyalty is a leading principle in your relationship to one another.

Person 2: Tell me why I should take advice from someone who has cheated on his last 3 girlfriends?

• Non Sequitor:

Cactuses have sharp points to them.

Sharp points hurt when you touch them.

I should get rid of all the knives in my kitchen because they have sharp points and I don’t want to get hurt!

• False Dichotomy:

If you don’t like being adventurous, is there any reason to live?

Argument from Ignorance:

We only believe in the universe, because we can’t understand God.

• Red Herring:

The only reason why I got pulled over for running a red light is because my boss scheduled me to work at 4:30am. It’s ridiculous that he would have me come in that early to stock shelves!