In order to understand what a fallacy is, one must understand what an argument is. An argument consists of one or more premises and one conclusion. A premise is a statement that is either true or false that is offered in support of a claim being made, which is the conclusion. There are two main types of arguments: deductive and inductive. A deductive argument is an argument where the premises provide complete support for the conclusion. An inductive argument is an argument where the premises provide some degree of support but less than complete support needed for the conclusion. A fallacy is an argument in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed support. A deductive fallacy can have true premises and still have a false conclusion. An inductive fallacy is one where the premises do not provide enough support for the conclusion. Generally speaking, a fallacy is an error in reasoning(Cohen, n.d.) There are several common fallacies that exist today; however, I will focus on Ad Hominem, Appeal to Authority and Straw Man.
Ad Hominem is a Latin term that means against the man or against the person. An Ad Hominem fallacy is the error at attacking the character or motives of a person who has stated an idea, rather than the idea itself (csun.) The implication is that the person's argument and ability to argue correctly lacks authority(wb,wujuoedua,irg.) Typically, this fallacy involves two steps. First, there is an attack against the character of the person making the claim. Second, the attack is taken to be evidence against the claim or argument the person in question is making. This type of argument has the following form:
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