Learning the Most Common Logical Fallacies

In the landscape of LSAT preparation, the ability to identify flawed reasoning types stands out as one of the most essential skills. Fortunately, it is also one of the most straightforward skills to acquire. They can be studied directly.

 

As you may already understand well, the accuracy of premises is secondary for the LSAT – we are expected to take them as given. Therefore, our focus shifts to engaging in well-founded arguments against conclusions and the steps taken to arrive at them. This process hinges on the capacity to identify the flaws intrinsic to arguments. The array of arguments that appear in your practice tests might initially appear uniquely flawed, but underlying their variation are broader fallacy categories which can be studied and memorized.

 

Recognizing these fundamental flaws serves as a compass, guiding you toward identifying errors before navigating through the answer choices. In some rare cares, a definition of these fallacies will literally be the correct answer to a test question. But understanding these common fallacies will help you answer almost all logical reasoning questions, as well as some reading comprehension questions, quickly and with more confidence. In other words, when you can see through the murk of a poor argument to identify flaws precisely and quickly, LSAT correct answer choices will become increasingly clear to you.

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For more fallacy types and examples, visit 7Sage's page on this topic.