If you must argue, argue correctly. Rhetorical Fallacy If you must argue, argue correctly.

Remember… A solid argument is based on three key appeals: Ethos (appeals to the sense of right and wrong) Pathos (emotional appeals) Logos (appeals based on logic)

However… Many arguments fail to persuade because they lack sound reasoning. Rhetorical fallacies are to blame!

fal⋅la⋅cy [fal-uh-see]–noun Definition: fal⋅la⋅cy [fal-uh-see]–noun 1. a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc.: EX. That the world is flat was at one time a popular fallacy. 2. a misleading or unsound argument. 3. deceptive, misleading, or false nature; 4. In logic, any of various types of erroneous reasoning that render arguments logically unsound.

Rhetorical Fallacies… …come in three flavors: Ethical Fallacies: unreasonably advance the writer’s own authority or character Emotional Fallacies: unfairly manipulate the audience’s emotions Logical Fallacies: depend on faulty logic

Look out! One problem that many people have when they argue is that they slip fallacies into their arguments without knowing it. Fallacies weaken arguments! They sound great, and may seem to make sense on the surface, but do not serve to actually persuade the opposition.

A glossary of rhetorical fallacies. Know them. Recognize them. Do not use them! The best part of all comes when one can point out a fallacy during the course of argument to the speaker. The argument usually stops very quickly thereafter.

Ethical Fallacies

Ethical Fallacies False authority: asks audiences to agree with the speaker’s assertion based on his/her character or the authority of another person or institution that isn’t qualified to offer that assertion. EX. My third grade teacher said so, so it must be true. Guilt by association: calls someone’s character into question by examining the character of that person’s associates. EX. Sara’s friend Amy robbed a bank; Sara is a delinquent. Dogmatisim: shuts down discussion by asserting that that the speaker’s beliefs are the only acceptable ones: EX. I’m sorry, but I think penguins are sea creatures and that’s that.

Ethical Fallacies Ad hominem (character attack)– arguments that attack a person’s character rather than their reasoning EX. Why should we think a candidate who recently divorced will keep his campaign promises? Strawman – these arguments set up and dismantle easily refutable argument in order to misrepresent and opponents argument in order to defeat him or her Speaker A: We need to regulate access to handguns. Speaker B: My opponent believes that we should ignore the rights guaranteed to us as citizens of the United States by the Constitution. Unlike my opponent, I am a firm believer in in the Constitution, and a proponent of freedom.

Emotional Fallacies

Emotional Fallacies Sentimental appeals: use emotion to distract the audience from the facts. EX. The thousands of baby seals killed in the Exxon Valdez oil spill have shown us that oil is not a reliable energy source. Scare tactics: these try to frighten people into agreeing with the arguer by threatening them or predicting unrealistically dire consequences. EX. If you don’t support the party’s tax plan, you and your family will be reduced to poverty. Bandwagon appeals: encourage an audience to agree with the speaker because everyone else is doing it. EX. Eight out of 10 people agree that Verizon offers better cell phone service than AT&T. Therefore you should switch to Verizon.

Emotional Fallacies False need: these arguments create false need Slippery Slope: these arguments suggest that one thing will lead to another, oftentimes with disastrous consequences. EX. If you get a B in my class, you’ll never get into college, and therefore will never have a meaningful career. Either/Or choices: reduces complicated issues to two possible courses of action EX. The patent office can either approve my new engine design or say goodbye forever to a low emissions car. False need: these arguments create false need EX. You absolutely have to have an iPad if you want people to think you are cool.

Logical Fallacies

Logical Fallacies Hasty generalization: draws conclusions from minimal evidence EX. I wouldn’t eat at that restaurant – the only time I ate there my entrée was undercooked. Post hoc (false causality): these arguments confuse chronology with causation, one event can occur without being caused by it. EX. A year after the release of the violent shoot-’em-up game Annihilator, incidents of violence tripled – surely not a coincidence. Non sequitur (Latin for “it does not follow): is a statement that does not logically follow or relate to what comes before it. EX. "Tens of thousands of Americans have seen lights in the night sky which they could not identify. The existence of life on other planets is fast becoming certainty!"

Logical Fallacies Begging the question: occurs when the speaker simply restates the claim in a different way; such an argument is circular. EX. His lies are evident from the untruthful nature of his statements. Faulty analogy: an inaccurate, inappropriate, or misleading comparison between two things. EX. Letting prisoners out on early release is like absolving them of their crimes.