Ad Hominem Fallacy

Ad Hominem Fallacy

Jake believes that the use of drugs is illegal and gives arguments to support his answer.

Jake is a priest so he should think that way.

Jake's arguments don't count because he's a priest and most likely he would be against drugs.

The previous example is an Ad Hominem Fallacy because it attacks Jake's point of view, just because he's a priest.

Begging the Question

Operation Iraqi freedom was violent, and violence should be unnecessary, so Operation Iraqi freedom was unnecessary.

The sentence above shows an example of what begging the question fallacy means. Begging the question is assuming that the conclusion is true, without even researching the topic.

Slippery Slope Arguments

I illegally raced somebody with my motorcycle yesterday and didn't get caught.

I illegally raced somebody with my motorcycle today and didn't get caught.

If I illegally race somebody tomorrow, I will not get caught.

The example above shoes how a Slippery Slope Argument takes place. People think that since a couple of events follow one another without any consequences, there will be no consequences in the future if you keep doing those events.

Argument from false Authority

This specific kind of fallacy can be found on TV commercials of companies that try to make their product popular by having them introduced by famous actors or famous athletes. The following is an example of what I'm talking about.

A Nike commercial has Cristiano Ronaldo which is a famous and skillful soccer player saying that he wears a specific model of soccer cleats.

This gives people the feeling that if they buy that specific model of shoe, their skills will immediately improve.

Appeals to peaty and Popularity

Appeals to peaty and popularity is another fallacy used by TV commercials. This for example can be used by alcohol companies. The reason I say this can be seen on the following example.

The alcohol companies show a picture of how much fun a large group of popular young people are having with their product at a party.

Many teens watch these commercials and try to be accepted into society by drinking alcohol.