What Are Cognitive Fallacies?
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 Common Cognitive Fallacies
Here are 6 common cognitive fallacies.Ad Hominem Argument 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 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 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 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 The gamblers' fallacy occurs when someone predicts the outcome of a pending random event based on previous random events.
Obfuscation Fallacy 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"
See Also
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
- Do you know a bias or fallacy that we've missed?