THE FALLACIES OF RHETORIC R H E T O R I C A L A N A L Y S I S B A C K G R O U N D I N F O R M A T I O N
WHAT ARE THE HOLES IN THIS ARGUMENT?
WHAT ARE THE HOLES IN THIS ARGUMENT?
WHAT IS A FALLACY? Fallacy: an incorrect argument in logic and rhetoric resulting in a lack of validity, or more generally, a lack of soundness In other words, a fallacy is a strategy that someone uses in a piece of rhetoric to persuade the listener or reader, masking him or her from the real truth We are going to be learning about 26 fallacies
LEARNING GOAL Identify and describe the fallacies of rhetoric.
APPEALS OF PREJUDICE OR STEREOTYPES Judging someone s credibility by race, religion, sex or other categorization rather than by the facts
APPEALS FOR SYMPATHY Using sympathy instead of facts to back a statement
APPEALS OF TRADITION AND CUSTOM Justifying arguments with traditional and customary excuses rather than facts
TESTIMONIAL Opinion of a well known person or subject when he or she has no expertise to talk about it
BANDWAGON Everyone else is doing something, so should you!
APPEALS TO APPEARANCE (SEX APPEAL) Use vanity and good-looking people to persuade others
CARD STACKING Presenting only one side of an issue; one point of view in favor of or against
DEDUCTION Generalizing the whole to specific parts
CHECK POINT! We are going to look at eight ads. Work with the people around you to match the ads up with the appropriate fallacy!
EQUIVOCATION Using two dissimilar situations and comparing them as the same to persuade
EXIGENCY Tries to convince that there is a good reason to do something in a short amount of time. Consequences will result if too much time is taken.
FLAG WAVING Stars and stripes or you are not patriotic
FREE BARGAIN A technique of making someone believe they are getting something for nothing
GLITTERING GENERALITY A word or phrase used to draw a positive response but to give no information
CHERRY-PICKING pointing to individual cases or data that seem to confirm a particular position, while ignoring a significant portion of related cases or data that may contradict that position
APPEAL TO NOVELTY The idea that newer is always better Opposite of the appeals to tradition fallacy
INNUENDO Hints indirectly that wrongdoing is present without proof When Regina George calls a guy s girlfriend s mother pretending to be Planned Parenthood with test results. This implies that the woman s daughter is pregnant. https://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=_k4l9k8ouz8
CHECK POINT! You will be divided into groups Each group will be given a situation described on a slip of paper. Your group must figure out which fallacy this situation belongs to.
OF COURSE GLOBAL WARMING DOESN T EXIST! THERE WAS THIS ONE STUDY DONE IN THIS OBSCURE JOURNAL THAT PROVES IT NOT TO BE TRUE. IGNORE THE THOUSANDS OF OTHER ARTICLES THAT PROVE OTHERWISE.
CHEVY CONSTANTLY ADVERTISES THE FACT THAT THEY ARE AMERICAN AND THEREFORE ARE SUPERIOR TO THE EUROPEAN CAR COMPANIES; IF YOU DON T BY THEIR PRODUCT, YOU AREN T PATRIOTIC.
AN AD THAT PLACES A BOTTLE OF COKE STRATEGICALLY AROUND A BUNCH OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
THE ICE CREAM PLACE DOWN THE STREET OFFERS COMPLIMENTARY ICE CREAM CONES! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS FILL OUT THEIR 20-MINUTE SURVEY AND IT S ALL YOURS!
THE ADVERTISING AGENCY MAKES THE EXECUTIVE DECISION TO MAKE A POSTER WITH ONE OF THE PLANES FROM THE AIRLINE THEY ARE ADVERTISING ACCOMPANIED BY ONE WORD: RELAXATION.
A SALESWOMAN CONVINCES A CUSTOMER TO BUY THE PAIR OF SHOES THAT VERY SECOND, AS THEY ARE SELLING OUT FAST AND WILL PROBABLY NOT BE THERE IN THE NEXT TWENTY MINUTES.
THE LAWYER ASKS THE WITNESS IF HE HAD HAD A DRINK IN THE LAST TWENTY FOUR HOURS TO IMPLY THAT THE WITNESS IS AN ALCOHOLIC AND, THEREFORE, NOT TRUSTWORTHY.
THE RESTAURANT TRIES TO GET MORE CUSTOMERS BY ADVERTISING THAT THEY ARE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. THEY ALSO GIVE THEIR RESTAURANT A BRAND NEW NAME, EVEN THOUGH THEY SERVE THE SAME FOOD.
JUST PLAIN FOLKS To use blue collar and middle class values rather than the facts
NAME-CALLING Labeling someone or something good or bad without sufficient evidence
RED HERRING a speaker attempts to distract an audience by deviating from the topic at hand by introducing a separate argument the speaker believes is easier to speak to
OVERSIMPLIFICATION Easier said than done
POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC After this, therefore, because of this
REPETITION Repeating statements to persuade
SUBSTITUTION OF PRESTIGE Avoiding facts by thinking well of something because of clout or status
SUBSTITUTION OF RIDICULE OR HUMOR Not using facts but making a joke or derogatory comment to discredit
SLIPPERY SLOPE The idea that if you allow X to happen, then Y will happen, and eventually Z will happen
VALUE CHARGED APPEALS Use of highly charged emotional words to persuade
CHECK POINT! Each group will be assigned a fallacy Your group must work to come up with a situation or type of ad/ argument that is an example of this fallacy One you think of one, place it on an index card with your names on the other side We will go through each and try and work together to guess which fallacy they represent.