Rhetorical+Appeals+and+Fallacies

The Art of Rhetoric: Aristotle’s Persuasive Appeals
 * Argument: an attempt to persuade someone
 * Audience: the focus of your persuasion
 * Appeals: how the writer/speaker tries to convince the audience
 * Rhetoric:
 * Dictionary: the art of speaking/writing effectively
 * Aristotle: the ability, in each particular case, to see the most available means of persuasion

Logos Ethos
 * An appeal based on logic or reason
 * Academic papers and corporate informational documents are logos-driven
 * The reader must ask whether or not the logic follows. Are the statistics skewed or unrepresentative?
 * An appeal based on the character or reputation of the author, speaker, or source.
 * Is a well-known person giving you the information?
 * Are you receiving the information from a trusted source or in a trusted atmosphere?
 * Effectively, “I’m a great guy, so you should believe what I’m saying.”
 * Ethos does not concern the veracity of the argument.
 * Reader needs to consider whether or not the source is credible. (trustworthy)

Pathos
 * Appeal based on emotion
 * Most advertising is pathos-driven
 * Attempts to persuade by stirring the emotions of the audience:
 * Love, pity, lust, fear, etc.
 * Does not concern the veracity of the argument.
 * The reader needs to consider, “Is the ad simply ‘playing’ me?”

Argument Fallacies (this is a tiny subset)


 * False analogy **


 * an analogy shows similarities between two different things
 * a false analogy is clearly off base: If we can send a spacecraft to Pluto, we should be able to find a cure for the common cold.


 * Post hoc fallacy **


 * post hoc, ergo propter hoc: comes after this, therefore caused by this
 * assumes that one thing that follows another was caused by the first event


 * Either . . . or fallacy **


 * the assumption is that there are only two options and that one is unsatisfactory


 * Non Sequitir ** (Latin: it does not follow)


 * When a missing claim is an assertion that few would agree with, the writer is guilty of making a //non sequitir//.


 * Straw Man Fallacy **


 * Setting up an imaginary or unrealistic opponent who is so weak he can be knocked down by the argument.
 * an oversimplification or outright distortion of the opposing view


 * Misleading Quotation **


 * deliberately misleading a reader with the use of ellipses ( . . .)
 * using only a piece of the original work to skew the meaning
 * leaving out a critical part of a controversial proposal


 * Unfair Emotional Appeals **


 * ** biased language ** – diction that chooses words with loaded meaning
 * ** ad hominem ** (Latin: to the man) – arguing as if the opponent is bad, rather than the opponent’s argument
 * ** bandwagon ** – everyone does this; therefore, it’s a good idea