Post on 15-Feb-2016
description
transcript
Logical Fallacies in Persuasion
When Good Use of Appeals Goes Wrong
Attacking a Person
Attack Ad Hominem
Attack Ad HominemWhen someone uses attack ad hominem, they are attacking
a person instead of the person’s argument or actions.Attack ad hominem is used frequently with political
campaign ads, so be looking for it when you watch television!
For example, if a candidate says, “You shouldn’t believe ________ because he is a bad person,” is an example of attack ad hominem. The candidate is not criticizing an argument and he has no basis or evidence for his claim.
Noticing Ad Hominem
Whether you agree with this ad or not is not the point. Notice that the original ad does not give a basis for
the argument whatsoever.
It’s just a fancy way of saying because B
comes after A, A caused B.
False Causality
False CausalitySometimes, things cause other things to happen.
That’s why we study cause and effect in language arts. However, sometimes two events are merely coincidental, so one cannot be blamed for the other.
For example, let’s say I gave a pop quiz one day in class. During the pop quiz, two students get a physical fight. Saying that I caused the fight is false causality, even if the students were both stressed already because of the quiz.
False Causality
Common sense usually helps us see straight through ads that use
false causality.
Doesn’t it seem fishy to you when
an ad jumps around from topic to topic?
Red Herring
Red HerringRed herring is when someone goes completely off on a
tangent in the middle of his argument.The point of red herring is to distract the audience
from what’s really at stake.Oftentimes, the speaker never goes back to the
original issue.
Red Herring
What does that silly duck standing on one leg have to do with the
flying spaghetti monster?
Because everyone loves them.
Overgeneralization
OvergeneralizationThink of stereotypes: that is an overgeneralization.This is when someone makes an assumption about an
entire group based on one inadequate sample.All teachers are mean. • Well, that’s not necessarily true. One based that
opinion on the small sample of teachers to which he has been exposed.
Overgeneral-ization
Of course all horses are cats…
Because everyone’s doing it
Bandwagon Effect
Bandwagon EffectThis is definitely use of pathos, as it is the tendency
that advertisers have to make the audience believe they want something by showing that everyone has it.
Ads that use bandwagon attempt to appeal to a person’s innate desire to “fit in.”
Bandwagon Effect
For what do you think this is advertising?
Find the logical fallacy…
People who believe in UFOs
are either crazy or stupid.
Which logical fallacy does this example
represent?
Find the logical fallacy…
I took EZ-No-Cold, and two days later, my cold disappeared.
Which logical fallacy does this example
represent?
Find the logical fallacy…
Jim comes home over an hour late. Sally
says, “I was worried. Why are
you late? Why didn’t you call?” Jim replies, “Have you seen the weather
lately?”Which logical fallacy does this example
represent?
Find the logical fallacy…
Tina bought a used camera while she
was up in Portland, and got a great deal. Portland
must be a good place to buy used
cameras.Which logical fallacy does this example
represent?
Find the logical fallacy…
“But officer, I don’t deserve a ticket; everyone
goes this speed. If I went any slower,
I wouldn’t be going with the
stream of traffic.”Which logical fallacy does this example
represent?