FALLACIES OF RELEVANCE

FALLACY OF ARGUMENT FROM

IGNORANCE
 When it is argued that a
proposition is true simply on the
basis that that it has not been
proven false or it is false because
it has not been proven true.
 “Mental Telepathy must be
accepted as a fact, for nobody
has proven that it is impossible.”
FALLACY OF APPEAL
TO INAPPROPRIATE AUTHORITY
 When appeals to an authority
whose field of expertise does not
include the nature of the
conclusion being established.
 “We should vote for this
candidate for he is endorsed by
our favorite basketball player.”
FALLACY OF APPEAL TO PITY
 When appeals to pity to cause the
acceptance of the conclusion.
 “This employee deserves a
promotion, for he can hardy feed
his starving family.”
FALLACY OF APPEAL TO THE PERSON
 When one evaluates an argument by
means of citing something about the
person who asserts the said argument.

 When someone attacks the person

giving an argument, rather than the
argument under consideration.
 “She cannot be a good president
because she comes from a broken
family.”
FALLACY TO POPULAR WILL
 When appeals to general, common,
popular, or stereotypical prejudices or
beliefs to cause acceptance of some
conclusions.
 "But officer, I don't deserve a ticket;
everyone goes this speed. If I went
any slower, I wouldn't be going with
the stream of traffic."
FALLACY OF APPEAL TO FORCE
 When one appeals to force, often
with subtlety, to cause the
acceptance of a conclusion.
 “It is your duty to pledge
allegiance to the new
constitution, for otherwise
rebellion charges will be filled
against you.”
FALLACIES OF
PRESUMPTION
FALLACY OF COMPLEX QUESTION
 When asks a question that contains
unproved assumptions, then argues
that these assumptions are true just
because an answer is given to the
complex question.
 “A lawyer who wants to establish that
person A is beating his child asks this
question: ‘Have you stopped beating
your child?’”
FALLACY OF FALSE CAUSE
 When one attributes a wrong cause to
something, which is often due to mere
temporal succession of two events.
 “Edgar Allan Poe’s literary genius
must have been caused by drinking
liquor, for it is said that before he
would write he would first drink some
liquor.”
FALLACY OF BEGGING THE QUESTION
 When reasoning is circular in that
the conclusion is already
assumed in the premises.
 “ The soul is immortal, for it never
dies.”
FALLACY OF ACCIDENT
 When one applies a general rule
to individual cases, which,
because of their special or
accidental nature, the general
rule does not generally apply.
 “Running is good for the heart.
Therefore , running will be good
for Pedro who is suffering from a
heart disease.”
FALLACY OF HASTY GENERALIZATION
 When one makes a generalization
from a special or accidental case
or simply from insufficient
number or cases.
 “While running, Mario had a heart
attack. Therefore, running is bad
for the heart.”