# What is the name of this logical fallacy?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy/731358>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 15, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy/731358 "2015-09-15T14:22:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![MaceMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@MaceMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaceMan)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy/731358/21 "2015-09-19T04:34:01Z")

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I agree with **brovolone** that both of the examples cited in the OP can be categorized as an appeal to extremes. I don’t really think that **ThelmaLou** ’s second example about alibis for murder can be categorized as a straw man argument, because they aren’t really to invalidate the original question/argument by replacing it with another that they can discredit.

In both cases, I would say that they were jumping to conclusions, which I suppose could be an example of a _non-sequitur_? Assuming the worst possible scenario isn’t always a logical fallacy though.

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**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy/731358/22 "2015-09-19T15:35:13Z")

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The case in the OP may be an example of the logical fallacy noted by, I think, Bertrand Russell, of trying to argue with an idiot.

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