Skip to content

Logical Fallacy Identification Guide

Run the Logical Fallacy Identification Guide MicroSim Fullscreen
Edit in the p5.js Editor

About This MicroSim

This simulation allows students to interactively map common logical fallacies by categorizing different statements or arguments. It demonstrates how errors in reasoning manifest in real-world discussions and helps users visually separate formal fallacies (structural flaws) from informal fallacies (flaws in content).

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

9-12 (High School / IB TOK)

Duration

15-20 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Basic understanding of what an argument is (premises leading to a conclusion).
  • Familiarity with terms like "ad hominem", "straw man", and "appeal to authority".

Learning Objectives

  • Identify and correctly categorize common logical fallacies based on provided statements.

Activities

  1. Exploration (5 min): Ask students to interact with the MicroSim, dragging statements into their corresponding fallacy categories. Instruct them to observe the immediate feedback provided by the tool.
  2. Guided Practice (10 min): Direct the class's attention to one specific informal fallacy (e.g., ad hominem). Discuss why attacking the person doesn't invalidate their argument. Have them use the MicroSim to find all examples of this specific fallacy.
  3. Assessment (5 min): Task students with finding one external example (e.g., from an opinion editorial or a debate) and using the framework from the simulation to diagnose the fallacy present.

Assessment

  • Competence in correctly sorting provided statements into their respective fallacies.
  • Ability to explain in a short written paragraph why a selected argument is logically invalid.

Quiz

Test your understanding of logical fallacies with this review question.

1. When an arguer attacks the person making the argument rather than the argument itself, which logical fallacy are they committing?

  1. Straw Man
  2. Ad Hominem
  3. Begging the Question
  4. Appeal to Ignorance
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. An ad hominem (Latin for "to the person") fallacy occurs when an arguer attacks their opponent's character, motive, or other attributes instead of engaging with the actual substance of the opponent's argument.

Concept Tested: Logical Fallacies (Ad Hominem)