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Hasty Generalization:
Drawing a conclusion on the basis of insufficient evidence. Stereotyping is a result of hasty generalization.
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False Cause (post hoc, ergo propter hoc):
"After this, because of this," from the Latin. The arguer infers that because one event follows another in time, the first event must be the cause of the second.
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Argument to the Person (Ad Hominem):
"Against the man," from the Latin. An attack on the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.
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False Dilemma, or Either-or Fallacy:
Oversimplifying a complex problem by implying that only two alternatives exist.
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Slippery Slope:
The arguer predicts that taking a first step will inevitably lead to a second, undesirable step, but does not provide evidence that this will happen.
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Circular Reasoning, or Begging the Question:
The arguer makes a statement that assumes that the very question that is being argued has already been proved.
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Straw Man:
One attacks an argument that isn't really there or an argument that is much weaker or more extreme than the one the opponent is actually making. By setting up a "straw man," the speaker or writer has an argument that's easy to knock down.
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Non Sequitur:
"Does not follow," from the Latin. One cannot logically infer the solution from the evidence given because the evidence is irrelevant. Claims, warrants, or reasons fail to connect logically; one point does not follow from another.
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Bandwagon, or Appeal to Tradition:
Arguing that because everyone is doing it, or because it has always been done a certain way, we should continue to do it.
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False Analogy:
When one takes a comparison too far or too seriously, at which point the analogy becomes inaccurate or inconsequential.
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