Logical Fallacy Cartoons

Every entry on fallacy.is, drawn in the style of an ancient Greek vase. The man making the mistake is Fallaxius, who gets 63 of these 64 wrong so you don't have to. Pick a scene to read the full entry.

Logical fallacies

Ad Hominem cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher pelts a calm citizen with olives while the citizen's scroll lies unread on a table. Ad Hominem Anecdotal Evidence cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher lifts one cheerful old man like a trophy, ignoring a tower of scrolls behind him. Anecdotal Evidence Appeal to Authority cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher bows to a pompous man in a giant laurel crown who holds up a blank scroll. Appeal to Authority Appeal to Emotion cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher sobs huge tears and hugs a lamb in front of a judge whose balance scale is empty. Appeal to Emotion Appeal to Ignorance cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher walks an invisible creature on a stiff leash and challenges a citizen to disprove it. Appeal to Ignorance Appeal to Nature cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher hugs a thorn bush with a snake round his neck and offers poison berries to a horrified citizen. Appeal to Nature Appeal to Tradition cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher proudly pushes a cart with square wheels past a citizen offering a round wheel. Appeal to Tradition Bandwagon cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher sprints to jump on an overloaded wagon of cheering people heading for a cliff. Bandwagon Broken Window Fallacy cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher smashes a merchant's pots with a club and points cheerfully to a potter waiting for work. Broken Window Fallacy Cherry Picking cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher on a ladder holds up one perfect cherry while rotten ones fall around him. Cherry Picking Circular Reasoning cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher runs around a column chasing the end of his own unravelling scroll. Circular Reasoning Equivocation cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher pours coins into a river from its bank while a money changer stares from his table. Equivocation Fallacy Fallacy cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher kicks over a rickety ladder and claims the sturdy temple roof behind him does not exist. Fallacy Fallacy False Cause cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher crowns a rooster with a laurel for making the sun rise. False Cause False Dichotomy cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher at a crossroads offers a traveller a cliff or a lion's den, ignoring the wide road behind him. False Dichotomy False Equivalence cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher forces a giant scale level with an elephant on one pan and a single olive on the other. False Equivalence Genetic Fallacy cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher smashes a fine pot and points at the muddy riverbank its clay came from. Genetic Fallacy Hasty Generalization cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher points at one black sheep and shouts, while a white flock grazes behind him. Hasty Generalization Loaded Question cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher smiles sweetly and offers a citizen a covered jar with a snake escaping from under the lid. Loaded Question Middle Ground cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher pours from a water jug and a poison jug into one cup and raises it proudly. Middle Ground Nirvana Fallacy cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher hurls a sturdy sandal back at a cobbler and points at golden winged sandals out of reach. Nirvana Fallacy No True Scotsman cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher redraws a circle in the sand to push out a man holding a bowl of porridge. No True Scotsman Post Hoc cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher flat on the ground beside a large rock shakes his fist at a small black cat. Post Hoc Red Herring cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher points urgently at a giant leaping fish while a citizen behind him holds up a scroll. Red Herring Slippery Slope cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher slides down temple steps with flailing limbs as columns topple like dominoes behind him. Slippery Slope Special Pleading cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher pushes past a queue paying a toll, pointing at the owl on his head as his excuse. Special Pleading Straw Man cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher wrestles a scarecrow in a toga while his real opponent stands by yawning. Straw Man Tu Quoque cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher caught with his hands in a honey jar jabs a sticky finger at honey on a citizen's chin. Tu Quoque

Cognitive biases

Anchoring cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher strains toward a market stall while tied by a rope to a huge stone anchor. Anchoring Availability Heuristic cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher stares in terror at a painted sea monster and backs toward an open well. Availability Heuristic Confirmation Bias cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher kisses a scroll showing his own face and flings a heap of other scrolls over his shoulder. Confirmation Bias Dunning-Kruger Effect cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher lectures a master shipbuilder while holding a leaky toy boat next to a magnificent ship. Dunning-Kruger Effect Fundamental Attribution Error cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher laughs at a citizen who slipped while his own foot slides out on the same wet patch. Fundamental Attribution Error Gambler's Fallacy cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher stakes his last sandal on a throw while a smirking gambler sits by a heap of winnings. Gambler's Fallacy Hindsight Bias cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher stands smugly tapping his temple beside a collapsed bridge as a soaked citizen climbs out of the river. Hindsight Bias Sunk Cost Fallacy cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher rows a sinking boat in a frenzy and refuses to look at a sound boat close by. Sunk Cost Fallacy Survivorship Bias cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher on a pier admires three battered ships while sunken ships lie under the water below him. Survivorship Bias

Rhetorical devices

Dog Whistle cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher blows a tiny whistle that bored citizens cannot hear while distant dogs snap to attention. Dog Whistle Euphemism cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher drapes a fine cloak and garland on a snarling boar and presents it to a nervous citizen. Euphemism False Balance cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher presents two equal pedestals, one backed by scholars and one by a lone man with a pot on his head. False Balance FUD cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher waves a sheet like a ghost over a rival's stall, scaring shoppers away. FUD Gaslighting cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher turns down an oil lamp behind his back while assuring a puzzled citizen nothing has changed. Gaslighting Loaded Language cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher paints fangs and horns on a gentle sheep and points at it in alarm. Loaded Language Thought-Terminating Cliché cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher jams a big stopper into the mouth of a citizen who raised his hand to ask a question. Thought-Terminating Cliché Weasel Words cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher speaks from a platform as sly weasels peer from his cloak and whisper to the crowd. Weasel Words Whataboutism cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher amid a smashed statue points at a tiny far-off figure as a citizen points at the mess. Whataboutism

Debate tactics

DARVO cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher holding a hammer among broken pots throws himself down wailing as a citizen points at the mess. DARVO Gish Gallop cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher gallops past on a wild horse, hurling a torrent of scrolls at a lone speaker. Gish Gallop Kafkatrap cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher gleefully points at a rope snare that tightens each time a citizen protests. Kafkatrap Motte and Bailey cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher drops a grand banner and scrambles up a ladder into a tiny stone tower as citizens approach. Motte and Bailey Moving the Goalposts cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher runs off carrying a goal made of columns while an athlete with a ball stares in disbelief. Moving the Goalposts Sealioning cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher leans through a window, politely offering another question scroll to a tired citizen at dinner. Sealioning Shifting the Burden of Proof cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher tips a huge boulder off his shoulders into the arms of a startled citizen. Shifting the Burden of Proof Steel Man cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher proudly forges a gleaming armoured figure of his calm opponent, and for once his owl looks impressed. Steel Man

Statistical fallacies

Base Rate Fallacy cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher despairs over a spot on his forehead while healthy citizens with the same spot laugh beside him. Base Rate Fallacy Berkson's Paradox cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher points at a strong pupil and a clever pupil while a guard turns an ordinary man away at the gate. Berkson's Paradox Correlation Is Not Causation cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher points in alarm from a cold drinks seller to a shark attack while a huge sun beams over both. Correlation Is Not Causation Ecological Fallacy cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher crowns a frail old man as a wrestling champion because huge wrestlers from his town stand behind him. Ecological Fallacy Misleading Average cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher wades confidently into a river and vanishes in the deep part, leaving only his hand and owl above water. Misleading Average P-Hacking cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher knee deep in discarded dice throws holds up one lucky throw to a crowd. P-Hacking Regression to the Mean cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher bows and takes credit with a bunch of herbs as a feverish man recovers on his own. Regression to the Mean Simpson's Paradox cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher gapes at two small scales tipping left while a large scale with the same weights tips right. Simpson's Paradox Small Sample Size cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher crowns a hamlet of three people and one goat as the greatest city, ignoring the city behind him. Small Sample Size Texas Sharpshooter cartoon in the style of a Greek vase: a philosopher paints a target around an arrow in a wall full of scattered arrows. Texas Sharpshooter