Critical Thinking by Example

Fallacy of Guilt by Association This fallacy occurs when a position P (or person) is attacked on the basis of an association to Q, where the association to Q is not relevant to the acceptability of P. In example 6.7 the author tries to impugn vegetarianism by associating it with Hitler. The fact that Hitler did or believed X is not in itself relevant to whether we ought to believe or do X. After all, Hitler breathed oxygen, and presumably this is not something we ought to renounce.
Example 6.7 “I can’t believe you support vegetarianism. Did you know that Hitler was a vegetarian?”
Fallacy of Appeal to the Majority This fallacy occurs when a position P is said to be true because the majority believes that P, and the fact that the majority believes P is irrelevant to whether we should believe P.	Example 6.8 “You should believe in God, the vast majority of people in this great country do.”
Fallacy of Appeal to the Select Few This fallacy occurs when a position P is said to be true because not everyone believes P, and the fact that not everyone believes P is irrelevant to the acceptability of P.	Example 6.9 “Most people simply believe in the religion of their parents. It is a rare, stronger type, who is capable of seeing the truth of atheism.”
The Gambler’s Fallacy This fallacy is committed when it is argued that the past has an influence on a random event	Example 6.10 “I can’t possibly leave my slot machine now! I’ve been losing for two hours straight—it has to get hot soon.”