> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://meta.niceshare.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Fallacies · Logical Fallacies & Reasoning Traps > 35 logical fallacies and reasoning errors — the systematic flaws that make weak arguments sound compelling. Recognizing them sharpens your own reasoning and makes you immune to manipulation. ## What are Fallacies? A fallacy is a **flaw in the logical structure of an argument** — it makes reasoning appear valid or persuasive when it actually isn't. Fallacies are common vulnerabilities in human thinking; they may be unconscious cognitive errors or deliberately used to mislead. > Recognizing fallacies has two payoffs: your own arguments become more rigorous, and you become harder to manipulate with bad arguments. **This category covers 35 core fallacies**, organized into four groups: * **Structural Fallacies**: flaws in the logical architecture of arguments * **Appeal Fallacies**: replacing logic with non-rational appeals (authority, emotion, etc.) * **Causal & Inductive Fallacies**: errors in causal reasoning and data inference * **Other Common Fallacies**: pervasive reasoning errors that resist neat categorization *** ## Structural Fallacies Misrepresent an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack Attack the person making an argument rather than the argument itself Use the conclusion as a premise to prove the conclusion Present only two options when more actually exist Claim that one small step inevitably leads to extreme consequences Draw an overly broad conclusion from a small or unrepresentative sample Assume what is true of the parts must be true of the whole Assume what is true of the whole must be true of every part Use a single word with two different meanings within the same argument Assume the truth must lie between two opposing positions Shift the responsibility of disproof onto the person who challenges a claim Embed an unproven assumption inside a question *** ## Appeal Fallacies "An authority figure says so, therefore it's true" Use emotional manipulation instead of logical argument "We've always done it this way, so it must be right" "It's natural, therefore it's good" "It hasn't been disproven, therefore it must be true" "Most people believe it, therefore it's true" Deflect criticism by pointing out the critic's inconsistency Judge an argument by its origin rather than its content *** ## Causal & Inductive Fallacies B followed A, therefore A caused B Two things happening together doesn't mean one causes the other Misidentify the actual cause of an event Shoot first, draw the target after — cherry-pick data that fits your conclusion Believe that past random events influence future probabilities Draw conclusions from only successful cases, ignoring failures Substitute personal experience for rigorous evidence Introduce an irrelevant topic to distract from the real issue *** ## Other Common Fallacies Redefine criteria to exclude inconvenient counterexamples Change the standard of proof after it has already been met Reject a practical solution because it isn't perfect Treat fundamentally different things as though they are equivalent Draw a false moral parallel between significantly different actions Deploy multiple, mutually contradictory defenses of the same position Treat an abstract concept as though it were a concrete, tangible entity