Fallacies!

A fallacy is an error in in logic- a place where someone has made a mistake in his thinking.

Here are some fallacies.....

Red Herring: A red herring introduces an irrelevant point to an argument. Someone may think (or may want us to think) it proves his side but it really doesn't.

Son: Why can't I go see The Day of the Spatulas with my friends?
Dad: Isn't there some other kind of move you could go see instead?

Special Pleading: When someone uses a double standard or argues for an unjustified exception, he is committing the fallacy of special pleading.

"I know I need to control my anger. But Officer, this time my wife was nagging me so much, the only thing I could do was lock her in the closet."

Ad Hominem: An ad hominem attack is attacking an opponent's character or his motives for believing something instead of disproving his argument.

Jenny: My uncle says that all murders should be put to death because then nobody would want to murder anybody anymore.
Sylvia: Wasn't your uncle in jail once? I don't think we can trust the opinion of someone who was once a criminal.

Genetic Fallacy: The genetic fallacy is condemning an argument because of where it began, how it began, or who began it.

Bert: Mr. Gritchus, why do you always wear suspenders and never a belt?
Mr: Gritchus: Because belts were developed in the military centuries ago and were used by soldiers. Since the Military is evil, and belts came from the military, therefore I can't wear a belt.

Tu Quoque: Tu quoque is dismissing someone's viewpoint on an issue because he himself is inconsistent in that very thing.

Fred: I wouldn't smoke cigarettes if I were you. It is a bad habit, and it will bring you all kinds of problems.
Jake: Don't tell me not to smoke. You do it, too.

Faulty Appeal to Authority: A faulty appeal to authority is an appeal to someone who has no special knowledge in the area being discussed.

"If Paul Newman thinks organic foods are more nutritious then chemical-saturated foods, shouldn't you, too?"

Appeal to the People: When we claim that our viewpoint is correct because many other people agree with it, we are committing the appeal to the people fallacy.

"The new book, The Fallacy detective, must be the best logic book around. It has been on the best-seller list for months."