Analyzing Rhetoric & Identifying Logical Fallacies

1. Analyzing Rhetoric & Identifying Logical Fallacies Miss McAnally

2. What is rhetoric? Rhetoric is the art of persuasive and effective writing or speaking

3. Analyzing Rhetoric • Rhetorical device: any device which persuades the audience to agree with the author • Assertion: a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief • Anticipate an objection: addressing an objection before anyone else can raise it • Direct address: speaking directly to another • Rhetorical question: asking a question without desiring a response

4. Logical Fallacies • What is an argument? • An argument consists of one or more premises and one conclusion. • A premise is a statement (a sentence that is either true or false) that is offered in support of a claim. • What is a fallacy? • An error in reasoning • An argument in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed degree of support

5. Ad Hominem Fallacy • “to the man;” a person’s character is attacked instead of his argument. • Example: • You are so stupid your argument couldn’t possibly be true. • I figured that you couldn’t possibly get it right, so I ignored your comment.

6. Ad Populum Fallacy • “to the crowd” • The fallacy that a widespread occurrence or popular belief of something makes it right or wrong. • Example: • Most people approve of X. • Therefore X is true.

7. Red Herring • A statement that draws attention from the central issue; an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue. • Examples: • “I know your car isn’t working right. But, if you had gone to the store one day earlier, you wouldn’t be having this problem.” • “I know I forgot to deposit the check into the bank yesterday. But, nothing I do pleases you!”

8. Circular Reasoning • Using two ideas to prove each other • This fallacy supports the premise with the premise rather than a conclusion. • Example: • “You should exercise because it’s good for you.” = “You should exercise because you should exercise.” • “Richardson is the most successful mayor the town has ever had because he’s the best mayor in our history!”

9. Begging the Question • The premises of the argument include the claim that the conclusion is true or assume that it is true • Examples: • Interview: “Your resume looks impressive, but I need one more reference.” Bill: “Joe can give me a good reference.” Interviewer: “Good, but how do I know that Joe is trustworthy?” Bill: “Trustworthy? Of course he is; I can vouch for him.” • “Women have rights,” said the Bullfighters Association president. “But women shouldn’t fight bulls because a bullfighter is and should be a man.”

10. Either/Or Fallacy • Tendency to see an issue as having only two sides • This occurs when a speaker makes a claim that presents an artificial range of choices. • The speaker tries to force their audience to accept a conclusion by presenting only two possible options, one of which is clearly more desirable • Examples: • “You either knocked the glass over or you did not. Which is it?” • “Do you still beat your wife?”

11. Loaded Words • Using highly connotative words to describe favorably or unfavorably without justification • When language is “loaded,” it has a secondary meaning in addition to its primary, descriptive meaning. Examples: Unloaded Loaded • Plant - Weed • Animal - Beast • Smell - Odor

12. Non Sequitur • Literal meaning: “it does not follow” • Comments or information that do not logically follow from a premise or the conclusion. • Examples: • “We know why it rained today: because I washed my car.” • “I don’t care what you say! We don’t need anymore bookshelves. As long as the carpet is clean, we’re fine!” • “Bill lives in a large building so his apartment must be huge!”

13. Oversimplification • Tendency to provide simple solutions to complex problems • Examples: 1. World hunger can be solved by giving everyone food. 2. To stop substance abuse we will put all drug users in jail for life.

14. Propaganda • Writing that seeks to persuade through appeals to emotion rather than logical proof • Propaganda techniques: • Fear • Glittering generalities • Bandwagon • Transfer • Name-calling • Testimonial • Plain folks • Card stacking • Faulty cause

15. Propaganda Technique: Fear • By playing on the audience’s deep-seated fears, the user hopes to redirect attention away from the merits of a particular proposal and toward steps that can be taken to reduce the fear.

16. Group Activity: Fallacy Charades • Demonstrate knowledge of your assigned fallacy by creating a scenario to act out in front of the class (examples: a conversation, an argument, a debate, a commercial) • Do not tell any other group which fallacy you have been given, since everyone will attempt to guess what fallacy your group is acting out

17. Remember! Logical fallacies are important for you to know because they: help you make better decisions help you argue effectively help you persuade others