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Two types of errors or fallacies exist within the arena of argumentation. These types include fallacy of relevancy and ambiguity. The former type of error, relevancy, is related to the relationship between the premise and conclusion of an argument. Though the argument is psychology relevant, the premise and conclusion are not linked logically. Therein lays the error.

These errors were most notably recognized and commented on by Aristotle. Rhetoric, written by Aristotle circa 335 BCE (Before the Common Era), outlined the art of persuasion and remains as relevant today as it was in those turbulent political times.

Learning to recognize these common errors, you will become proficient in not only presenting your argument but increasingly skilled at avoiding or circumventing these errors in the argument of others.

1. The Argument of Ignorance (ad Ignorantium)
This error is committed whenever it is argued that a proposition is true simply because it has not been proved otherwise. Many false propositions have not yet been proved false, just as many true propositions have not yet proved true. I could offer the proposition that the dwarf planet Pluto is made of cheese. Based on this fallacy, I am able to cling to this position based solely on the fact that no one, including scientist, can offer evidence to the contrary. Thus, by sheer not knowing or absence of evidentiary proof, one may claim victory in the argument.

2. The Appeal to Inappropriate Authority (ad Verecundiam)
This error is committed whenever we appeal to knowledge or claim to legitimacy presented by an expert with little or no relevant training in a field of study. For instance, an economist may offer insight into the nuclear family as it pertains to the economic effects of a recession but he/she may not offer relevant information on deviant social behaviors relating to adolescence within that nuclear family.

3. Complex Question
The complex question is the most common error that one faces within day to day discourse. In its natural form, it is a rhetorical question. A person will present a proposition, in a form of a question that includes both the premise and conclusion. It draws one into a trap. The complex question is the favorite technique of many lawyers. Since court procedure only allows the attorney to ask questions, a cleverly constructed question can make or break a case. Thus, declarative statements cleverly disguised as questions make their way into the legal arena.

4. Argument "against the person"

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