Logical Fallacies and Persuasive Techniques

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Appeal

Definition: Playing on the audience’s emotions, fears, needs or
desires to persuade them that you are right

Circular Argument

Either/or

Begging the Claim

Genetic Fallacy

Ad Populum

Ad Hominem:

Moral Equivalence

Example: Emotions (You would be so happy if…)

Fallacies

Evidence:

Definition: Using statistics, Expert opinion, Research finding, and
anecdotal evidence to prove a point.

Example: Research, statistics, expert opinion

Definition:Common errors in reasoning that will undermine
the logic of your argument

Definition: An attack on the character of a person rather than his or her opinions or arguments.
.

EX: Green Peace's strategies aren't effective because they are all dirty, lazy hippies

Attacks

Definition: Portraying opposing views or people as foolish,
dangerous, uncaring or deceitful in an attempt to
discredit them

Example: My opponent would see us hand over control of our
country to our enemies.

Definition: An emotional appeal that speaks to positive (such as patriotism, religion, democracy) or negative (such as terrorism or fascism) concepts rather than the real issue at hand.

Inclusive/Exclusive Language

EX: If you were a true American you would support the rights of people to choose whatever vehicle they want.

Definition: Use of we, us and our to show solidarity, or They and
them to show exclusion

Definition: A conclusion that the writer should prove is validated within the claim.

Example: We are all in this together. It is up to us to see that this
great undertaking of ours does not fail.

EX: Filthy and polluting coal should be banned

Rhetorical:

Definition:This restates the argument rather than actually proving it

EX: The president is a good communicator because he speaks effectively

Definition: Questions which do not expect an answer and are
asked for effect only.

DefinitionA conclusion that oversimplifies the argument by reducing it to only two sides or choices.

EX: we can either stop using cars or destroy the earth

Example: Are you okay? (Asked to someone who is clearly in pain)

Definition: A conclusion based in an argument that the origins of a person, idea, institute, or theory determine its character, nature, or worth

EX: The founder of ford is evil because he thinks just like Hitler

Cause and Effect:

Definition: Arguing that one thing led to another

Example: Because you were outside while it was raining, you got
wet.

Connotation:

Definition: Comparing minor misdeeds with major atrocities.

EX: That parking attendant who gave me a ticket is as bad as Hitler.

Definition: using emotionally loaded words to influence people

Example: Brat = negative emotional association

Analogy:

Definition: Comparing one thing to another in order to prove a
point.

Example: I hate (insert class here) trying to pass it is like trying to
swim up a waterfall.

Generalization:

Hasty Generalization

Definition: Rushing to conclusion before you have all the relevant facts,

EX: I just meat this person but I already hate them.

Definition: Making a sweeping statement about a whole group
based upon one or two members of the group.

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Example: Sports fans are all crazy.

Definition: A conclusion that assume that if 'A' occurred after 'B' then 'B' must have cause 'A'

Humor:

Definition: Using puns, irony, sarcasm, satire, and jokes to
discredit opposing views

EX: I drank a bottled water and now I am sick, so the water must have made me sick

Example: Saying “totally artraged” instead of “outraged” when
talking about controversial art

Red Herring

Definition: A diversionary tactic that avoids the key issues, often by avoiding opposing arguments rather than addressing them.

Jargon:

Definition: using specialized/technical terms to show oneself to
be an expert in the field they are discussing

Wood is a essential to making shelter, but what will animals use as shelter?

Example: Hammerhead, Masthead, Nameplate, Wicket, Sidebar,
Op/Ed, and Feature all mean significantly different
things to a journalist than to the average person.

Formal Language:

Definition: Using higher level language with limited emotional
reactions to sound more knowledgeable

Straw Man

Example: The above really means: 87 years ago, the founding
fathers decided that America should be a land of
freedom.

Definition: Oversimplifying an opponent's viewpoint and than attacking that hollow argument.

Colloquial Language

EX: People who don't support equality hate humanity

Definition: informal, everyday language used to appear friendly
and similar to their audience

Example: “That totally grossed me out” vs. “That really disgusted
me”

Slippery Slope

Alliteration:

Defenition: This is a conlusion based on the premise that if A happens, than eventually through a seies of small steps, through B, C, ... X, Y, Z will happen, too, basically equating A and Z.

Definition: repetition of initial consonant sounds to add
emphasis

Example: She sell sea shells down by the sea shore.

EX:If we ban Hummers because they are bad for the environment eventually the government will ban all cars, so we should not ban hummers

Assonance:

Definition: Repetition of vowel sounds for emphasis

Example: The elite meet and greet