Rhetorical Fallacies

1. Rhetorical Fallacies

2. The Problem with Fallacies • They don’t allow for the open, two-way exchange of ideas upon which meaningful conversation depends. • They distract the reader with various appeals instead of using sound reasoning.

3. Red Herring • Answering a question by changing the subject • Using misleading or unrelated evidence to support a conclusion Example: The painting is worthless because I don’t recognize the artist.

4. Ad Hominem • These arguments attack a person’s character rather than a person’s reasoning. • Often used in political attack ads Example: Why should we think a candidate who recently divorced will keep her campaign promise? Another example: Ad Hominem (or Ad Catinem?)

5. Post Hoc • Assuming one thing causes another simply because it happened prior to the other • Example: The soccer team gets new uniforms, and loses their next game. The coach blames the loss on the new uniforms. Post hoc

6. Appeal to Pity An attempt to use compassion or pity to replace a logical argument

7. Appeal to Pity cont’d I was traumatized!

8. Ad Populum • Literally meaning “to the people,” it suggests that “everybody knows” something, so it must be right. • Similar to the bandwagon propaganda technique

9. Several Logical Fallacies What logical fallacies does the student use? Why are they fallacies?

10. Hasty Generalization • Itdraws conclusions from only a few examples. • There may be other examples that don’t fit your conclusion. Example: I wouldn’t eat at that restaurant--the only time I ate there my food was undercooked. Hasty Generalization What hasty generalization does the video show?

11. Straw Man • Presenting a distorted or exaggerated representation of a position that is easily refuted. • It’s so ridiculous that it’s easy to knock down—but it’s not really what your opponent believes. Straw Man What straw man is the student using?

12. Scare Tactics These try to frighten people into agreeing with the arguer by threatening them or predicting unrealistically dire consequences. Example: If you don’t support the party’s tax plan, you and your family will be reduced to poverty.

13. Scare Tactics cont’d Scare Tactics Political Ad What fear is the ad trying to arouse in the viewer?

14. Slippery Slope • Suggests that one action will lead to an inevitable and undesirable outcome. • The problem? The action may NOT lead to that outcome! You’re using fear to manipulate the audience. Slippery Slope 1 Slippery Slope 2 Why are these ads examples of the slippery slope fallacy?