1. Logical Fallacies EXIT Continue… A logical fallacy is a statement that contains faulty reasoning. Don’t give your reader a reason to doubt your information. Persuasive writing especially requires sound logic to support opinions. MENU

2. Logical Fallacies EXIT What’s wrong with this statement? If I don’t get the summer internship at the newspaper, I won’t have a career in journalism when I graduate. Click to see an analysis A logical fallacy is a statement that contains faulty reasoning. Don’t give your reader a reason to doubt your information. Persuasive writing especially requires sound logic to support opinions. PREVIOUS MENU

3. Logical Fallacies EXIT This statement sets up only two options although many strategies for starting a career in journalism exist. It is too extreme to seem reasonable. If I don’t get the summer internship at the newspaper, I won’t have a career in journalism when I graduate. A logical fallacy is a statement that contains faulty reasoning. Don’t give your reader a reason to doubt your information. Persuasive writing especially requires sound logic to support opinions. Next PREVIOUS MENU

4. Common logical fallacies include the following. Click to choose the fallacy you want to explore. EXIT MENU Logical Fallacies MENU Overgeneralization Circular reasoning False analogy Either/or reasoning Single cause False cause

5. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… Overgeneralization An overgeneralization is a statement so broad that it can easily be disproved. Look for words like all, everyone, no one, always, never, none, when you revise. MENU

6. EXIT Logical Fallacies Overgeneralization An overgeneralization is a statement so broad that it can easily be disproved. Look for words like all, everyone, no one, always, never, none, when you revise. What is the overgeneralization in this sentence? People who go to the beach always get sunburns. Click to see the overgeneralization PREVIOUS MENU

7. EXIT Logical Fallacies Overgeneralization An overgeneralization is a statement so broad that it can easily be disproved. Look for words like all, everyone, no one, always, never, none, when you revise. What is the overgeneralization in this sentence? People who go to the beach always get sunburns. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU

8. EXIT Logical Fallacies Overgeneralization An overgeneralization is a statement so broad that it can easily be disproved. Look for words like all, everyone, no one, always, never, none, when you revise. People who go to the beach always get sunburns. ORIGINAL People who go to the beach often get sunburns. REVISED Menu PREVIOUS MENU

9. EXIT Continue… Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. MENU

10. EXIT Logical Fallacies Click to see the repeated idea Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. What is the repeated idea in this sentence? Term limits are a good idea because politicians should remain in office only for a certain amount of time. PREVIOUS MENU

11. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. What is the repeated idea in this sentence? Term limits are a good idea because politicians should remain in office only for a certain amount of time. Continue… PREVIOUS MENU

12. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. How would you revise to avoid this circular reasoning? Term limits are a good idea because politicians should remain in office only for a certain amount of time. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU

13. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. Term limits are a good idea because politicians should remain in office only for a certain amount of time. PREVIOUS MENU politicians should remain in office only for a certain amount of time.

14. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. Term limits are a good idea because PREVIOUS MENU

15. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. Term limits are a good idea because PREVIOUS MENU voters should be given many opportunities for political change.

16. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. This revised sentence gives specific information about why term limits are a good idea. Menu PREVIOUS MENU Term limits are a good idea because voters should be given many opportunities for political change.

17. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… False Analogy A false analogy is a comparison between two things that are different in some essential way. MENU

18. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Analogy A false analogy is a comparison between two things that are different in some essential way. What is wrong with this comparison? Employees are like nails. You have to keep hammering them to make them work. Click to see an analysis PREVIOUS MENU

19. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Analogy A false analogy is a comparison between two things that are different in some essential way. This argument compares people to nails. The two are completely different. It may sound clever but has little meaning. Employees are like nails. You have to keep hammering them to make them work. Menu PREVIOUS MENU

20. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… Either/Or Reasoning An either/or fallacy is a statement suggesting that there are only two possible ways to view a situation or only two options to choose from. MENU

21. EXIT Logical Fallacies Either/Or Reasoning An either/or fallacy is a statement suggesting that there are only two possible ways to view a situation or only two options to choose from. What other possibilities can you imagine for this example? We must either allow scientists to continue running tests on animals, or we’ll have no new medicines in the future. Click to see an analysis PREVIOUS MENU

22. EXIT Logical Fallacies Either/Or Reasoning An either/or fallacy is a statement suggesting that there are only two possible ways to view a situation or only two options to choose from. There are many ways for scientists to develop new medicines in addition to running tests on animals. We must either allow scientists to continue running tests on animals, or we’ll have no new medicines in the future. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU

23. EXIT Logical Fallacies Either/Or Reasoning An either/or fallacy is a statement suggesting that there are only two possible ways to view a situation or only two options to choose from. We must either allow scientists to continue running tests on animals, or we’ll have no new medicines in the future. ORIGINAL Allowing scientists to continue running tests on animals will allow them to use an important tool in developing new medicines. REVISED Menu This revision removes the limited options and presents a more reasonable statement. PREVIOUS MENU

24. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… Single Cause In a single cause fallacy, the writer assumes that an event has just one cause when there are actually multiple causes. MENU

25. EXIT Logical Fallacies Single Cause In a single cause fallacy, the writer assumes that an event has just one cause when there are actually multiple causes. Can you think of other possible reasons why many species of animals are at risk of extinction? Many species of animals are at risk of extinction because of overhunting. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU

26. EXIT Logical Fallacies Single Cause In a single cause fallacy, the writer assumes that an event has just one cause when there are actually multiple causes. Many species of animals are at risk of extinction because of overhunting. ORIGINAL Many species of animals are at risk of extinction because of the destruction of their habitat, overhunting, air and water pollution, and other causes. REVISED Menu PREVIOUS MENU

27. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… False Cause Just because one event occurred after another in time, the first event may not have caused the second event. Don’t let that kind of false cause reasoning show up in your writing. MENU

28. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Cause Just because one event occurred after another in time, the first event may not have caused the second event. Don’t let that kind of false cause reasoning show up in your writing. What might be the true causes in this situation? Crime rates dropped as a result of the mayor’s get-tough speeches. Click to see an analysis PREVIOUS MENU

29. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Cause Just because one event occurred after another in time, the first event may not have caused the second event. Don’t let that kind of false cause reasoning show up in your writing. A drop in the crime rate might be the result of many factors, such as a crackdown by police, hiring more police officers, and more community involvement. The mayor’s speeches may have had little or nothing to do with it. Crime rates dropped as a result of the mayor’s get-tough speeches. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU

30. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Cause Just because one event occurred after another in time, the first event may not have caused the second event. Don’t let that kind of false cause reasoning show up in your writing. Crime rates dropped as a result of the mayor’s get-tough speeches. ORIGINAL Crime rates dropped as a result of a crackdown by police, the hiring of additional police officers, and more community involvement. REVISED Menu PREVIOUS MENU