Bearcatenglish.com

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Logical Fallacies

• and Propaganda

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Fallacies

• Statements that may sound reasonable or true but
  are deceptive and dishonest. The most common are

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Begging the Question/Circular Reasoning

• Assuming the thing to be true that you are trying
  to prove.  It is circular.
• Example  I am a good worker because Frank says
  so.  How can we trust Frank?  Simple.  I will
  vouch for him.

http//web.cn.edu/kwheeler/fallacies_list.html
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Begging the Question/Circular Reasoning Example

• Everything Picasso drew even when he was just
  doodling on his napkinwas great art. By great
  art I mean, of course, whatever is done by a
  great artist and Picasso was a great artist. He
  was a great artist and everything he did was
  great art.

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False Analogy

• Asks readers to assume two things are comparable
  when they, in fact, are not.
• Ex The overcrowded conditions in some parts of
  our city have forced people together like rats in
  a cage. Like rats, they will eventually turn on
  one another, fighting and killing until a balance
  is restored.
• No evidence is offered that people behave like
  rats under these or any other conditions.

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Ad Hominem (Personal Attack)

• Personal Attack Attacking the person rather than
  attacking an issue. Tries to divert attention
  from the facts of an argument by attacking the
  motives or character of the person making the
  argument.
• Ex. The public should not take seriously Dr.
  Masons plan for upgrading county health
  services. He is a recovering alcoholic and his
  second wife just left him.
• If you dont like this administrations policies,
  and want to see them changed, dont attack the
  President, address the issues you want changed.

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Hasty/Sweeping Generalization

• When a conclusion is based on too little
  evidence.
• Our daughter Maggy really benefited from nursery
  school every child should go.
• That man is an alcoholic. Liquor should be
  banned!
• A frustrated Ford owner says My car broke down
  today! Fords are worthless pieces of garbage!

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Red Herring

• When the focus of an argument is changed to
  divert the audience from the actual issue
• Example The mayor has proposed building a new
  baseball-only sports stadium. How can he even
  consider allocating millions to this
  irresponsible scheme when so many professional
  baseball players have drug problems?  
• Example I know your car isn't working right. 
  But, if you had gone to the store one day
  earlier, you'd not be having problems. 
• Example  I know I forgot to deposit the check
  into the bank yesterday.  But, nothing I do
  pleases you.

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Appeal to Doubtful Authority

• Appeal to Doubtful Authority Citing people who
  may have name recognition but no authority on an
  issue.
• Ex. According to the late Joey Ramone, interest
  rates will remain low during the next fiscal
  year.
• Four out of five dentists prefer Crest
  toothpaste. (How many dentists were known
  advocates of Crest before they were surveyed?
  How do we know they didnt get a kickback from
  Crest for preferring it? What kind of degree did
  they have?)

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Misleading Statistics

• A misrepresentation or distortion of statistics.
• Ex. Women will never be competent firefighters
  after all, 50 of the women in the citys
  training program failed the exam.
• The writer has neglected to mention that there
  were only two women in the program. Because
  this stats is not based on a large enough sample,
  it is unreliable

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Post Hoc

• Based upon the mistaken notion that simply
  because one thing happens after another, the
  first event was a cause of the second event. Post
  hoc reasoning is the basis for many superstitions
  and erroneous beliefs.
• You use your dowsing stick and then you find
  water. You imagine heads coming up on a coin toss
  and heads comes up. You rub your lucky charm and
  what you wish for comes true. You lose your lucky
  charm and you strike out six times. You have a
  "vision" that a body is going to be found near
  water or in a field and later a body is found
  near water or in a field. You have a dream that
  an airplane crashes and an airplane crashes the
  next day or crashed the night before.

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Non sequitur
Non sequitur is Latin for "it does not follow."
In formal logic, an argument is a non sequitur if
the conclusion does not follow from the premise.
Here are two types of non sequiturs of
traditional noteworthiness 1) Any argument that
takes the following form is a non sequitur If A
then B. (e.g. If I am a cat, I am a mammal.) B.
(e.g. I am a mammal.) Therefore, A. (Therefore,
I am a cat.) 2) Another common non sequitur is
this If A then B. (e.g. If I am in Tokyo, I am
in Japan.) Not A. (e.g. I am not in Tokyo.)
Therefore, not B. (e.g. Therefore, I am not in
Japan.)
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False Dilemma (also called Either/Or)

• Two choices are given when in actuality there
  could be more choices possible.
• We must choose between life or death, between
  intervention and genocide. There can be no
  neutral position.
• You either did knock the glass over or you did
  not.  Which is it?
• Do you still beat your wife?

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Card Stacking

• The speaker, instead of presenting all of the
  important evidence, tells the audience only those
  facts that support the point he/she is trying to
  make. Speaker leaves out bad aspects and neglects
  to point out benefits.
• Telling your parents that youre going to a party
  but neglecting to tell them there will be beer
  there.

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Bandwagon

• Asks the listeners to jump on the bandwagon, to
  become part of a supposedly overwhelming group in
  favor of some person, product, or idea.
• Most of the people in a crown at a ballgame are
  drinking the same beverage.
• At a party everyone wearing the same brand of
  jeans is having a good time. The one person in a
  different brand of jeans is standing alone. .
  .and not having a good time

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Glittering Generality

• A word or phrase so vague that everyone can agree
  on its value, but no one is really sure what it
  means.
• CertsNow with Retsyn! What the heck is Retsyn
  and what does it do????
• Tide detergentNew and improved! Whats new?
  What was improved?
• Just do it Do what???

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Testimonial

• Opinion of some well-known person on a particular
  subject.
• Person may or may not be an expert on subject
• Jessica Alba, a respected, mature, likable
  entertainer, is not an authority or specialist on
  nutrition. She is paid to help promote milk
  drinking. This is a very common advertising
  technique.

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Transfer

• This technique requires the audience to transfer
  the positive feelings they have for one thing to
  another unrelated topic, item, or idea. It
  depends on the appeal of two vaules
• 1. Admired or beloved symbols or images
• 2. Sex appeal
• 3. Good feelings

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Transfer Examples

• A tanned blonde in a bikini is stretched out on
  the beach, holding in her hand a can of light
  beer.
• A commercial for Marions new hospitals labor
  and delivery room. The commercial shows a woman
  holding her newborn baby with soft music playing
  in the background. As the announcer speaks, the
  doctor comes in, smiling down at the baby.
  Finally, the father comes in, puts his arm around
  the mother holding the baby and the doctor next
  to her and lovingly smiles at all of them while
  tender music plays on.

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• http//www.cbs.com/specials/2004_superbowl_commerc
  ials/
• http//www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/av_
  advertising.html
• http//pbskids.org/dontbuyit/advertisingtricks/wha
  tsinanad.html
• http//pbskids.org/dontbuyit/advertisingtricks/bet
  headdetective_3.html
• http//www.pbs.org/30secondcandidate/tricks_of_the
  _trade/