Logically Fallacious Resources
Logical fallacy examples, explained without jargon
A fallacy is an error in reasoning. Examples make those errors easier to spot because they show the pattern in motion rather than only naming the rule.
Why examples matter
Definitions are useful, but fallacies usually hide inside ordinary arguments. A concrete example helps you notice the move being made, the missing support, and the conclusion being smuggled in.
Use the library next
Each linked fallacy page includes a fuller explanation from the Logically Fallacious library, with the book and course available for deeper study.
Related fallacies
See all fallaciesStrawman Fallacy
Substituting a person’s actual position or argument with a distorted, exaggerated, or misrepresented version of the position of the argument.
Ad Hominem (Abusive)
Attacking the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself, when the attack on the person is completely irrelevant to the argument the person is making.
Slippery Slope
When a relatively insignificant first event is suggested to lead to a more significant event, which in turn leads to a more significant event, and so on, until some ultimate, significant event is reached, where the connection of each event is not only unwarranted but with each step it becomes more and more improbable. Many events are usually present in this fallacy, but only two are actually required -- usually connected by “the next thing you know...”
Appeal to Authority
Insisting that a claim is true simply because a valid authority or expert on the issue said it was true, without any other supporting evidence offered. Also see the appeal to false authority.
Appeal to Pity
The attempt to distract from the truth of the conclusion by the use of pity.
False Dilemma
When only two choices are presented yet more exist, or a spectrum of possible choices exists between two extremes. False dilemmas are usually characterized by “either this or that” language, but can also be characterized by omissions of choices. Another variety is the false trilemma, which is when three choices are presented when more exist.