Inspect the reasoning.
Keep the person.

Attacks the person instead of answering the claim.

Example: “You are an idiot, so your evidence is wrong.”

Replaces a position with a weaker or more extreme version.

Example: “So you want everyone to do whatever they want?”

Presents two choices while excluding viable alternatives.

Example: “You are either with us or against us.”

Treats an authority’s view as sufficient proof without examining the reasons.

Example: “A famous scientist said it, so it must be true.”

Treats popularity as proof.

Example: “Everybody believes it, so it is correct.”

Claims one step will trigger an extreme chain without supporting each link.

Example: “If we allow this exception, every rule will disappear.”

Uses the conclusion as its own support.

Example: “The policy is right because it is the correct policy.”

Uses emotional pressure as a substitute for support.

Example: “If you cared, you would agree with me.”

Draws a broad conclusion from too little evidence.

Example: “Two developers missed the deadline; developers are unreliable.”

Assumes sequence proves causation.

Example: “The update installed, then the network failed, so the update caused it.”

Deflects by accusing the critic of similar behavior.

Example: “You did it too, so your criticism does not count.”

Changes the required standard after evidence is presented.

Example: “That study is not enough; now prove it in every country.”

Redefines a group to dismiss counterexamples.

Example: “No real expert would disagree.”

Judges a claim only by its origin.

Example: “That idea came from social media, so it is false.”

Selects favorable evidence while ignoring relevant contrary evidence.

Example: “These two months prove the trend, so the other ten months do not matter.”

Introduces a distracting issue instead of answering the point.

Example: “Why discuss the budget when the office paint is ugly?”

Embeds an unproven assumption in the question.

Example: “When did you stop misleading your team?”

Changes the meaning of a key word during the argument.

Example: “A theory is just a guess, so scientific theory is unreliable.”

Treats lack of disproof as proof.

Example: “Nobody has proven it impossible, so it is true.”

Assumes what is true of a part is true of the whole, or vice versa.

Example: “Every component is light, so the assembled machine must be light.”