Fallacious Reasoning

Fallacious Reasoning is flawed reasoning in arguments is known as fallacious reasoning. Bad reasoning within arguments can be because it commits either a formal fallacy or an informal fallacy.

formal fallacy occur when there is a problem with the form, or structure, of the argument. The word “formal” refers to this link to the form of the argument. An argument that contains a formal fallacy will always be invalid
informal fallacy is an error in reasoning that occurs due to a problem with the content, rather than mere structure, of the argument

Types of Fallacies

Types of Fallacies	Description
Masked-Man	a logical fallacy that is committed when someone assumes that if two or more names or descriptions refer to the same thing, then they can be freely substituted with one another, in a situation where that’s not the case
Complex Question Loaded Question	is a question that contains an unjustified assumption
Ad Hominem	rather than refuting an opponent’s argument the person attacks the individual instead
Appeal to Authority	stating that whatever is claimed, is true because a ‘so-called’ authority said so rather than applying any logical reasoning or providing any evidence to support the claim.
Straw Man	a straw man is a form of argument and an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent’s argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not presented by that opponent. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be “attacking a straw man”
Appeal to Ignorance	argument from ignorance, also known as appeal to ignorance, is a fallacy in informal logic. It asserts that a proposition is true because it has not yet been proven false or a proposition is false because it has not yet been proven true
False Dilemma	a false dilemma (or sometimes called false dichotomy) is a type of informal fallacy in which something is falsely claimed to be an “either/or” situation, when in fact there is at least one additional option essentially you reduce an argument down to only two options despite the fact that there may be many more (and far better possibilities) to choose from
Slippery Slope	asserts that a relatively small first step leads to a chain of related events culminating in some significant effect
Circular Argument Begging the Question	is an informal fallacy that occurs when an argument’s premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it. It is a type of circular reasoning: an argument that requires that the desired conclusion be true NOTE: This fallacy gained fame when it featured in the plot of a really good book called Catch 22. In it the protagonist claims he is mad in order to avoid flying dangerous bombing missions. However, he finds his claim rejected on the grounds that by claiming he is insane it actually proves he must be sane – as only a sane man would try and claim he was mad to avoid flying the deadly missions!)
Alphabet Soup	A corrupt implicit fallacy from ethos in which a person inappropriately overuses acronyms, abbreviations, form numbers and arcane insider “shop talk” primarily to prove to an audience that s/he “speaks their language” and is “one of them” and to shut out, confuse or impress outsiders
Bandwagon Argumentum Ad Populum	is a fallacious argument that concludes that a proposition must be true because many or most people believe it, often concisely encapsulated as: “If many believe so, it is so”
Red Herring	a fallacy that is an irrelevant topic introduced in an argument to divert the attention of listeners or readers from the original issue