
Rationale > Fallacies > Latin names

Latin names of various fallacies

Here's some fancy Latin names for the fallacies we discuss:

ad hominem	personal attack
ad ignorantiam	argument from ignorance
ad misericordiam	appeal to pity
ad populum	appeal to popularity
ipse dixit	'he, himself, said it'; appeal to illegitimate authority
petitio principii	begging the question
post hoc ergo propter hoc	'after this, therefore because of this'; coincidental correlation

Here's some others you might find amusing:

ad baculum	appeal to force; 'agree or I'll thump you'
ad nauseum	nagging; 'the more I repeat it, the truer it is'
reductio ad hitlerum	'Hitler supported it, so it must be bad'

Warning: dropping these terms into a conversation will make you sound smarter, but people may also think you're a prat.

This material has been developed independently of the International Baccalaureate, which in no way endorses it.