AP LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION

1. AP LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION Rhetorical Terms Review Set 3 Argument—Common Logical Fallacies

2. Either/Or Fallacy Definition: Also known as false dilemma fallacy, this is a fallacy in argument that occurs when someone is asked to choose between two options when there are clearly other alternatives Examples: • My country right or wrong. • You either support the war or you support the terrorists.

3. Sweeping Generalization Fallacy Definition: a fallacy in which there seems to be sufficient evidence offered to draw a conclusion, but the conclusion drawn far exceeds what the evidence supports Example: • That fraternity got in trouble for hazing; all fraternities need to be banned for hazing. • The apples on the top of the box look good. The entire box of apples must be good.

4. Post Hoc, Ergo Prompter Hoc Fallacy Definition: a fallacy which infers a causal connection based solely on temporal order. In other words, just because one event happened before another doesn’t mean it caused the second event to happen. Correlation does not equal causation. Examples: • Most people die after being given last rites; therefore, priests kill people when they administer last rites. • The baseball slugger didn’t wear his lucky socks, which caused him to go 0 for 4 and make two fielding errors.

5. Argument Ad Populum Definition: afallacy which occurs when an argument panders to popular passion or sentiment. Examples: • True patriots will buy only Chevrolets! • Taking the words “under God” out of the Pledge of Allegiance violates our Judeo-Christian heritage.

6. Slippery Slope Fallacy Definition: a fallacy in which the arguer asserts that if we take even one step onto the "slippery slope," we will end up sliding all the way to the bottom without being able to stop Examples: • First we'll ban assault rifles, then handguns, then rifles, then shotguns, then, eventually,�BB guns and finally squirt guns...and snowballs. (this one also includes reductio ad absurdum—taking it to the point of absurd) • Animal experimentation reduces our respect for life. If we don't respect life, we are likely to be more and more tolerant of violent acts like rape and murder.

7. Begging the Question Fallacy Definition: an argument which asks the reader to simply accept the conclusion without providing real evidence; the argument simply ignores an important (but questionable) assumption that the argument rests on Examples: • It is a decent, ethical thing to help another human being escape suffering through death. • Paranormal phenomena exist because I have had experiences that can only be described as paranormal.

8. Circular Reasoning Definition: an attempt to support a statement by simply repeating the statement in different or stronger terms.  In this fallacy, the reason given is nothing more than a restatement of the conclusion that poses as the reason for the conclusion Examples: • Richardson is the most successful mayor the town has ever had because he's the best mayor of our history. • President Reagan was a great communicator because he had the knack of talking effectively to the people.

9. Straw Man Fallacy Definition: an argument which misrepresents a position in order to make it appear weaker than it actually is, refutes this misrepresentation of the position, and then concludes that the real position has been refuted Examples: • We should have conscription. People don't want to enter the military because they find it an inconvenience. • Supporting the Patriot Act is advocating the destruction of the civil rights of all Americans.

10. Hasty Generalization Fallacy Definition: arriving at a bold conclusion based on a limited sample of evidence Examples: • The old man who lives next door yelled at me for walking through his lawn; he’s just a grouchy, mean old man. • You can't speak French. I can't speak French. Petey Burch can't speak French. I must therefore conclude that nobody at Mill Creek High School can speak French.

11. Equivocation Fallacy Definition: when a key word or phrase in an argument is used with more than one meaning. It is an illegitimate switching of the meaning of a term during the reasoning. Examples: • A feather is light. Therefore, a feather cannot be dark. • I don’t approve of political jokes. I’ve seen too many of them get elected.