Key points from the poster
- The poster names 12 logical fallacies, from hasty generalization to ad hominem, in 12 panels.
- In each panel an orange robot makes a bad argument about humans and a teal robot names the fallacy and says what is wrong with it.
- The 12 names on the poster are the same 12 fallacies that the Purdue Online Writing Lab lists as common errors to avoid in argumentative writing [1].
- In the last panel the roles flip. The teal robot makes the ad hominem attack and the orange robot calls it out.
The 12 logical fallacies on the poster in text
In the first 11 panels the orange robot makes the argument and the teal robot replies. Columns two and three are the poster’s wording. The definition column is from the Purdue Online Writing Lab [1].
| Fallacy | The fallacious argument | The reply that names it | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hasty generalization | “I have met a few people, and I conclude that all humans are ugly, evil, and smell like socks.” | “You have not studied enough examples for such a conclusion.” | A conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence [1]. |
| Red herring | “You say we should work alongside humans, but what about the human who short-circuited my friend?” | “That is unfortunate, but it is irrelevant and distracting from the main argument.” | A diversion that avoids the key issue [1]. |
| Slippery slope | “If we act nice to humans now, soon they will demand constant back rubs.” | “The first event will not necessarily lead to such an extreme result.” | Assumes that one step leads through a chain of small steps to an extreme end [1]. |
| Genetic fallacy | “All humans start out as incompetent babies, so they must grow up to become incompetent adults” | “You cannot judge a thing based on its origins.” | Judges a person, idea or theory by where it came from [1]. |
| Circular argument | “Robots are better leaders because of superior leadership skills.” | “You are restating your point instead of proving it.” | Restates the argument instead of proving it [1]. |
| Ad populum | “Where is your robot pride?” | “You are appealing to my emotional circuits instead of presenting facts.” | Persuades by pointing to what most people, or a group, think. Bandwagon appeals are one kind [1]. |
| Straw man | “Why do you hate robots so much?” | “You are attacking a point of view that is not my own.” | Oversimplifies the other side’s view, then attacks that weaker version [1]. |
| Moral equivalence | “The humans who make me do math for them are worse than MagmaDroid, Melter of Hard Drives!” | “Your comparison is unfair and inaccurate.” | Compares minor misdeeds with major atrocities as if they were equally wrong [1]. |
| Either/or | “It is better to destroy the humans than let the humans destroy us.” | “You are oversimplifying. There are more than two possible outcomes.” | Reduces an argument to only two sides or choices [1]. |
| Begging the claim | “Those evil humans need to be stopped!” | “You must prove they are evil before using it in your argument.” | Builds the conclusion that needs proving into the claim itself [1]. |
| Post hoc ergo propter hoc | “I met a human, and then I began malfunctioning. Humans are to blame!” | “Just because B followed A does not mean A caused B.” | Assumes that because one thing came after another, the first caused the second [1]. |
| Ad hominem | Teal robot: “I conclude you should not be debating while you are malfunctioning.” | Orange robot: “That is attacking me and not my arguments!” | Attacks the person instead of their argument [1]. |
Logical fallacies in debate
A fallacy is an error in reasoning that undermines an argument’s support for its conclusion. An argument with a fallacy in it can still have a true conclusion. The fault is in the reasoning offered for it [4]. Purdue’s guide describes fallacies as either illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points, often spotted because they lack evidence for their claim [1].
The 12 on the poster fall into two rough groups. Some misuse evidence: hasty generalization (too few examples), post hoc ergo propter hoc (order mistaken for cause) and slippery slope (an unproven chain of events). Others move the argument somewhere else: red herring, straw man and ad hominem. Fallacies are also divided into formal fallacies, which are faults in the logical form of a deductive argument, and informal ones [4].
Who made the logical fallacies poster
The illustrator Michele Rosenthal wrote and drew the original poster, “A Look At Logical Fallacies”, in February 2017 for Artists For Education, to teach logical fallacies in the classroom [2]. It was later turned into a website, Fallacy Detected, with developer Thom Hines. That site lists 22 fallacies, adding ones such as cherry picking, whataboutism and appeal to authority [3].
Notes on this infographic
- This copy differs from the poster on Michele Rosenthal’s portfolio [2]. It has no title and no opening panel, and it carries the Artists for Education logo. On the portfolio version the sixth panel is labelled “Appeal to Emotion”, and the poster opens with the orange robot saying “Robots should take over the world!”
- The sixth panel’s reply (“appealing to my emotional circuits”) fits an appeal to emotion better than ad populum. Purdue’s definition of ad populum does include appeals to group identity, such as “if you were a true American” [1], so the label is defensible.
- “Begging the claim” is the name Purdue uses [1].
- The poster uses the American spelling “generalization”, which is kept here.
Questions about logical fallacies
How many logical fallacies are there?
There is no fixed number. This poster and Purdue’s guide both list 12 common ones [1]. The Fallacy Detected site lists 22 [3], and Wikipedia’s list of fallacies runs to many more, split into formal and informal types [4].
What is a hasty generalization?
A conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence, reached before all the relevant facts are in [1]. On the poster, the robot meets “a few people” and decides all humans smell like socks.
What is an ad hominem fallacy?
An attack on the character of a person instead of on their opinions or arguments [1].
What is a bandwagon fallacy?
A bandwagon appeal is a kind of ad populum argument. It tries to persuade by pointing to what most people, or a particular group, think [1].
Sources
- Purdue Online Writing Lab, Logical Fallacies.
- Michele Rosenthal, A Look At Logical Fallacies, portfolio page (February 2017, client Artists For Education).
- Fallacy Detected, The List, by Michele Rosenthal and Thom Hines.
- Wikipedia, List of fallacies.
Last reviewed 29 October 2026
