1 Fallacies

2 Begging the Question No support/ evidence *Everybody knows that MJC students are the brightest in the East. This begs the question: Where is the evidence? / where is the proof? Ans: I know because it is true.

3 Red Herring Irrelevant / misleading evidence. Distracts the audience from the real argument. *Ali could not have stolen the candy because the shopkeeper was overtly racist. The shopkeeper’s racism is not an issue - Ali’s possession of stolen candies is.

4 Non Sequiter Conclusion does not follow the evidence. *Women should not be HODs because they are not as strong as men. *Mr Chiam should not be MP cos’ he only has 4 As. What has strength to do with anything? What has grades to do with being a MP?

5 Straw Man Attributing an argument to an opponent that he has never made. Then proceeds to demolish the pseudo-argument. *Female Councillor, “My gender is not a problem in this election. In fact my gender will add value to the school.” Who ever said that female councillors are going to be problems?

6 Stacked Evidence One sided argument. * All TV promotes family values. Eg. Under One Roof, Growing Up, Sesame Street… Did not consider: Son of the Beach, Baywatch, Melrose Place…

7 Either-Or Oversimplified into Black or White. *Women must either be housewives or career women. *You are either my friend or my enemy! *Vote PAP or face economic ruin! No room for middle-ground; too extreme ignore grey areas in real life. Force people to choose.

8 Post Hoc Claim that one thing to another. *Smoking is what a real man does. *Using “Eternity” by Calvin Klein will drive hordes of men wild. *Ignore Jason. It always rains with him around. Wrong claim.

9 Hasty Generalization Jump to conclusions Stereotyping *Mr Pang’s wife gave him a big scolding last night. Therefore he is a henpecked husband. Absolutely rubbish. Mr Pang is just being understanding & open about issues.

10 Ad Hominen Prejudiced / biased against the person Poisoning the well. *Clinton is not fit to be a President because he had an affair with Monica Lewinsky. Sexual Affairs vs Political Ability

11 Guilt by Association A person is judged because of the misdeeds of friends/ association. *Hillary cannot be president because Bill had an affair with Lewinsky. Bill’s problems have nothing to do with her.

12 Using Authority Relies on authority to prove a point. * We must take our temperatures because Miss Lai said so. The main reason is SARS. I am Boss

13 Bandwagon Appeal Everyone is doing something so you should also. *I must get a girlfriend ‘cos Samson has one. Do not follow the crowd.

14 Slippery Slope Domino effect. Scare tactic Sliding to disaster. *If we have one boy with long hair today, the school will go to dogs tomorrow. Exaggeration!

15 False Needs Heighten the false sense of need. *If you want smart kids, you must buy a set of encyclopaedias. * If you want white shiny teeth, you must use Oral B.