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Cognitive Fallacies

What Are Cognitive Fallacies?

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Cognitive fallacies (or logical fallacies) are errors in reasoning that weaken or invalidate an argument. Cognitive fallacies should not be confused with cognitive biases. A cognitive bias is an error that causes an element of an argument to be under- or over-weighted. A cognitive fallacy is an error in how the elements of an argument relate to one another.
list of cognitive fallacies

List of Common Cognitive Fallacies

Here are 6 common cognitive fallacies.

Ad Hominem Argument ad hominem argument icon An ad hominem argument (ad hominem is Latin for "to the man") occurs when someone tries to contest a claim by highlighting the negative characteristics or beliefs of the person making the claim rather than contesting the claim itself.

Appeal to Authority Fallacy appeal-to-authority icon The appeal-to-authority fallacy is an error in reasoning that occurs when someone adopts a position because that position is affirmed by a person they believe to be an authority.

Appeal to Flattery Fallacy appeal-to-flattery icon The appeal-to-flattery fallacy is an error in reasoning that occurs when someone adopts a position due to flattery or a compliment presented within the argument.

Base Rate Fallacy base-rate fallacy icon The base-rate fallacy is an error in reasoning that occurs when someone reaches a conclusion that fails to account for an earlier premise – usually a base rate, a probability or some other statistic.

Gamblers' Fallacy gamblers fallacy icon The gamblers' fallacy occurs when someone predicts the outcome of a pending random event based on previous random events.

Obfuscation Fallacy obfuscation fallacy icon The obfuscation fallacy occurs when someone adopts a position after hearing, or presenting, an argument containing unnecessarily complex language that either impresses (when it shouldn't), confuses or deceives. "To obfuscate: to make obscure, unclear or unintelligible"

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