RHETORICAL FALLACIESand

The DEVICES OF PROPAGANDA1

PROPAGANDA

Designed to deliver a persuasive message to a large target audience by employing faulty logic and emotional appeals.

It is designed to give another control over your thoughts and decisions.

It can provoke visceral emotional responses and hasty generalizations.

Advertising, political cartoons, sit-coms, newspaper, basically everywhere.

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AD HOMINEM/NAME CALLING

Comes from the Latin term ‘against the man’

This method attacks the person instead of the argument. The goal is to discredit the argument by discrediting the person advocating the argument

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD50OTR3arY

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oR5jeX4gzQ

Dogs attacks on cats

AD HOMINEM/NAME CALLING

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EXAMPLES OF AD HOMINEM

Ex. John Adams was called “a fool, a gross hypocrite and an unprincipled oppressor” during his campaign.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_zTN4BXvYI

EXAMPLES OF NAME CALLING

“Harry doesn't know anything about cooking. Heck, he's an idiot truck driver!”

Referring to Harry’s occupation induces negative connotations.

Name-calling often does not attack a person’s character directly, but rather, it suggests a character attack.

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NAME CALLING

An attempt to discredit an opponent by labeling or describing him with words that have unfavorable connotations.

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APPEAL TO FALSE AUTHORITY

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An argument from authority happens suggests a speaker should be trusted in one area because he/she is an expert in another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOAPMjsHLDM

ARGUMENT FROM IGNORANCE Based on the assumption that a statement

must be true if it cannot be proven false or vice-versa. There is no proof that I am wrong; therefore, I am right.

Examples: There is intelligent life in outer space, because no one has proven there isn't.

An atheist could argue his/her point that God does not exist because there is no viable proof.

A theist could also argue his/her point that God does exist because there is no proof that he doesn’t.

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APPEAL TO IGNORANCE

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ra8_gyY9R8

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BEGGING THE QUESTION/CIRCULAR LOGIC

Begging the Question is the fallacy where the claim in included in the conclusion, so the claim is never actually proven.

"If such actions were not illegal, then they would not be prohibited by the law."

"The belief in God is universal. After all, everyone believes in God."

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BEGGING THE QUESTION

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CVbku6nxhU

Elaine resists the changing of her phone number

HASTY GENERALIZATION

Definition : A fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence. A hasty generalization is one in which there is an insufficient number of instances to base the generalization.

“My father smoked four packs of cigarettes a day since age fourteen and lived until age sixty-nine. Therefore, smoking really can’t be that bad for you.”

It is extremely unreasonable to draw a universal conclusion about the health risks of smoking by the case study of one man. 14

HASTY GENERALIZATION Examples: Smith, who is from England, decides to attend graduate

school at Ohio State University. He has never been to the US before. The day after he arrives, he is walking back from an orientation session and sees two white squirrels chasing each other around a tree. In his next letter home, he tells his family that American squirrels are white.

• Kanye West’s examples of Hasty Generalizations• http

://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zIUzLpO1kxI

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NON SEQUITUR

Definition: an inference/conclusion that does not follow logically from the premises, or one statement that does not follow logically from another.

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FALSE DICHOTOMY/FALSE DILEMMA/FALSE CHOICE

A false dilemma also called a false dichotomy, is a type of logical fallacy that involves a situation in which only two alternatives are considered when in fact there are additional options.

In other words, people jump to one extreme to the next. If you do no not think one way than you must think or do the complete opposite.

Either/Or thinking

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FALSE DICHOTOMY/FALSE DILEMMA

“It was not medicine that cured Ms. X so it must have been a miracle.”

“If you are not with us, you are against us.”

Black and white thinking labels people as all good or all bad.

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FALSE DICHOTOMY/DILEMMA

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FALSE DICHOTOMY

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SLIPPERY SLOPE

Definition: a dangerous and irreversible course. A chain reaction with dire consequences.

Explanation: The Slippery Slope is a fallacy in which a person asserts that some event must follow catastrophically from another. In most cases, there are a series of steps or gradations between one event and another but slippery slope does not acknowledge the intervening steps. In this fallacy, A leads immediately to Z.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtmAw9Ia7LA 21

SLIPPERY SLOPE

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SLIPPERY SLOPE

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★ Example: Me: “ I don't want to study.”Mom: “If you don't study you will not graduate and you will end up flipping burgers for a living.”

SLIPPERY SLOPE

STRAWMAN

STRAWMAN

Definition- A fallacy in which an opponent's argument is misrepresented/distorted. The attacker then disputes that simplified misrepresentation.

This can be done by quoting a person’s words out of context, or oversimplifying an opponent's argument, then attacking this oversimplified version.

This sort of reasoning is fallacious, because attacking a distorted version of a position fails to constitute an attack on the actual position. 26

STRAWMAN

Example-“People who are in favor of abortion think it's okay to commit cold blooded murder.”

“People who think abortion should be banned have no respect for the rights of women. They treat them as nothing but baby-making machines. That's wrong. Women must have the right to choose.”

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STRAWMAN

SENTIMENTAL APPEALS/APPEALS TO EMOTION

The use of emotion to distract the audience from the facts. ASPCA commercials

Example- The thousands of baby seals killed in the Exxon-Valdez oil spill have shown us that oil is not a reliable source of energy.

The facts in that statement don’t go together. The killing of baby seals in an oil spill don’t corroborate the argument that oil is not a reliable energy source.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWeKtqWc2EA

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RED HERRING

An observation that draws attention away from the central issue.

• Mystery Novels often use this technique to build suspense, but politicians use it to avoid answering difficult or controversial questions.

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EXAMPLE OF RED HERRING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6VmYOFGpbM

Undecided voter asks a questions about limiting assault weapons during the Obama-Romney debate.

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SCARE TACTICS/APPEAL TO FEAR

Scare Tactics are used to induce fear in people in order to persuade them to perform a certain action or purchase something.Example: If you don’t support the party’s tax plan, your family will be reduced to poverty.

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SCARE TACTICS

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This is scary, but there may be some truth to it. STOP SMOKING!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgqyohFzOVg#action=share

DOGMATISM/ASSERTION

What is it? An arrogant assertion of opinion, without

sufficient facts to support. A point or view being shoved down your throat

as if is the only choice “Women are bad drivers.” “Men never ask for directions.”

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DOGMATISM

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EQUIVOCATION

Also referred to as doublespeak, equivocation is the ambiguity of the use of a word in a sentence, i.e. where the key word in an argument has multiple meanings and can easily be misinterpreted.

EQUIVOCATION EXAMPLES

In this ad “Under 21” refers to the price of the car being $21,000. Dodge uses this number to their advantage by to relating it to the legal drinking age.

The sign said “Fine for parking here”, and since it was fine, I parked here.

TRANSFER Transfer of positive or negative feelings and

associations of one symbol, idea, or person to another.

Closely associated to testimony. An car company creates an advertisement of

its car driving through pristine country to accentuate its ecofriendliness.

A political candidate wears a religious symbol on his lapel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8uXrwhWVOM: 2014 New Ford Mustang Commercial

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TRANSFER

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TESTIMONIALA fallacy in which support for a standpoint or product is provided by a famous figure, who is not an expert and who was probably well paid for the endorsement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CuABcnWXqo: Shatner on World of Warcraft

DON’T YOU WANT TO BE LIKE MIKE? http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=b0AGiq9j_Ak

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TESTIMONIAL

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PLAIN FOLKS

The speaker tries to convince the audience that he/she is an average person who empathizes with their situations.

They appealing to the common person’s values for example, family values, democracy, patriotism, Christianity.

I am just a poor country boy, so you can trust me. I am just a humble citizen of this state who wants to

make a difference. Ronald Reagan was often photographed chopping wood.

Jimmy Carter was sworn into office using the name “Jimmy”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOuizLehD2k Romney Plain Folks

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CARD STACKING

Definition: presenting information that is positive to an idea or proposal and omitting information contrary to it.

Exaggerates the benefits of the product/service while understating its disadvantages.

Exaggerates the disadvantages of a rival product/service while understating its benefits.

Commercials for medications

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CARD STACKING

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CARD STACKING EXAMPLES:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIlibXBHe7URomney Campaign commercial

CARD STACKING EXAMPLES:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiWTcVHdSFoMac v. Windows PC - Virus

BANDWAGON/AD POPULUM/POPULAR APPEAL Appeals to common interest by persuading

someone to do something or believe something because the mass of people does.

Comes from the phrase ‘jumping the bandwagon’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhMaUiufjcU

Big Daddy Band Wagon Above

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BANDWAGON APPEALS

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POST HOC/FALSE CAUSALITY

Post Hoc, Ergo Hoc is a fallacy that states since B event followed A event, B must have been caused by A . The gullible person believes that since one event came before another, it caused the second to happen.

Example: I had been doing pretty poorly this season. Then my girlfriend gave me these neon laces for my spikes and I won my next three races. Those laces must be good luck...if I keep on wearing them I will win.

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POST HOC/FALSE CAUSALITY

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Post HocCorrelation does not imply causation.

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TU QUOQUE – “YOU TOO OR YOU ALSO”/APPEAL TO HYPOCRISY

a logical fallacy that attempts to discredit the opponent's position by asserting his failure to act consistently in accordance with that position; to attack a person’s argument by saying he/she does what he/she objects to.

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EXAMPLES OF TU QUOQUE

Person 1: It should be illegal to make clothing out of animals.

Person 2: But, you are wearing a leather jacket.

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Examples Friend A: You

cheated on the history test yesterday. Don’t you realize that’s wrong?

Friend B: You cheated on the history test last week. Did you forget about that?

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TU QUOQUE EXAMPLES

GLITTERING GENERALITIES

Glittering Generalities involves the use of words with a positive connotation that rely on pathos rather than logic, to make an idea sound appealing

The use of “emotionally appealing words so closely associated with highly valued concepts and beliefs that they carry conviction without supporting information or reason.”

buzz words like “liberty”, “prosperity”, “equality”, “social justice”, “change” and “hope” are appealing but vague.

Listen for them during electioneering. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s__nHCNT8

y8McDonalds – Pride, Togetherness

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GLITTERING GENERALITIESEXAMPLE

“Change we can believe in.” – Barack Obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw_XNRdntBs

GLITTERING GENERALITIES EXAMPLE

FAULTY ANALOGY

Faulty analogy is a propaganda technique where two things that are not alike are falsely portrayed as being similar to persuade the audience to think a certain way. The faulty analogy is based on misleading, superficial, or implausible comparisons

“People who have to have a cup of coffee every morning before they can function have the same problem as alcoholics who have to have their alcohol each day to sustain them”.

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FAULTY ANALOGY EXAMPLE

In this advertisement, a baby sleeping next to a knife is being compared to a baby sleeping in bed with their parents.

FAULTY ANALOGY EXAMPLE

When Bill Clinton ran for President in 1992 a faulty analogy was used by the opposing party in their campaign against him.

"Bill Clinton has no experience of serving in the military. To have Bill Clinton become president, and thus commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States, is like electing some passer-by on the street to fly the space shuttle.”

10 ASPECTS OF A GOOD COMMERCIAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGuSqB-lOTg

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://uwc.utexas.edu/node/85 http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/

slippery+slope?s=t) (http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/

slippery-slope.html) (http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/

slippery-slope.html)

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