Transcript fallacy presentation

Argument and Logic
Important Terms
• Claim (also assertion or, as we usually call
it, the thesis or topic sentence)
• Data or Proof
• Warrant – “Why this is important;” the belief
or value or major premise on which the
claim is based
• Concession/Refutation
The “Classical” Arrangement
• Introduction
• Narration (background information)
• Confirmation (major part of text; prove your
claim/thesis)
• Refutation (refutes the opponent’s
claim/thesis)
• Conclusion
Logos, Pathos, Ethos
• Logical appeal presents data, facts,
experts, etc. to support your claim
• Emotional appeal manipulates the
reader’s/audience’s emotions
• Ethical appeal convinces the
reader/audience that you know what you’re
talking about
• Logos is primarily developed, then, through
modes of discourse (aka. Rhetorical
strategies) supported by data.
• Pathos is primarily developed by the
discriminating use of schemes and tropes.
• Ethos is primarily developed by the
writer/speaker’s background, expertise, etc.
BUT THESE OVERLAP, TOO!
For example, which is more
inspiring? This…
“I believe that people shouldn’t be
judges because of who they are.
People should judge others on
their actions instead.”
- Mrs. Martin
Or this?
“I have a dream that my four children will
one day live in a nation where they will
not be judged by the color of their skin
but by the content of their character. I
have a dream today.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
What’s the difference?
• Neither have any real logical appeal
• My quote, however, also has no emotional
appeal
• King’s quote has connotation (innocence of
childhood, reference to the American
Dream, etc.) and antithesis w/consonance
• And…it’s Martin Luther King, Jr.!
Logic
Strong arguments can be analyzed and
broken down to see if they are true.
One way to do this is with a syllogism.
Syllogism Components
• Major premise: This is a general truth
• Minor premise: This is a “sub-category of
the major premise
• Conclusion: If both the major and minor
premise are true, the conclusion should be
logical deduction
Example
• Major premise: All men are mortal.
• Minor premise: Socrates is a man.
• Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.
Toulmin Model
Because ________, therefore _________,
since _________.
Because Socrates is a man, therefore he is
mortal, since all men are mortal.
Errors in Logic
When you have an error in your
syllogism—an error in your logic—you
have created a logical fallacy.
Logical fallacies are BAD!
(And there are a lot of them…)
Slippery Slope
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Predicting without justification that one step
in a process will lead unavoidably to a
second (usually undesirable) step
Ex: “If we pass health care reform, the next
thing you know government bureaucrats
will be pulling the plug on Grandma.”
Hasty Generalization
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Drawing conclusions from insufficient
evidence
Very common in student writing
Ex: 19 Muslims conducted the 9/11 attacks;
therefore, all Muslims are terrorists
Post Hoc
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Because “B” happened after “A,” “A”
caused “B”
Very common in cause/effect student
essays
EX: “I ate Cheezits and listened to the
Backstreet Boys before my last game and
we won; therefore, eating Cheezits and
listening to the Backstreet Boys caused me
to play better.”
Begging the Question
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AKA “circular reasoning”
The argument assumes to be true what it is
supposed to be proving
EX: “Capital punishment is wrong because
it is immoral.”
Very common in student writing
Either/Or Fallacy

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Presenting only two (usually black and
white) choices when there may be other
options (shades of gray)
EX: If you support prayer in schools, you're
a fundamental extremist.
Ad Hominem
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“To the Man”
Attacking the person instead of their
argument
"She asserts that we need more
military spending, but that is false,
since she is only saying it because
she is a Republican."
Ad Populum
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Appeal to popular opinion
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EX: “It's ok because everyone is doing it”
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Also called “bandwagon”
Red Herring
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This is the “Hey, look! There's a
distraction!” fallacy
It attempts to “win” an argument by
introducing another, irrelevant topic and
thereby diverting attention from the original
argument
EX: “Yes, health care is messed up, but
right with the economy so bad it is no time
to worry about health care.”
Straw Man
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Disputing a view similar to, but not the
same as (often distorted, exaggerated, etc.
version), that of the arguer's opponent
EX: "Senator Jones says that we
should not fund the attack submarine
program. I disagree entirely. I can't
understand why he wants to leave us
defenseless like that."
Moral Equivalence
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Suggesting that a minor offense is the
same as a serious wrong doing
EX: “These new dress code rules are
facist!”
Appeal to Authority
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Citing an authority who is not really
qualified to make a judgment as proof
EX: “My friend, Joe, says GM stock is
going up soon, so I'm buying!”
Ad Misericordiam
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Appeal to pity, sympathy or a similar
emotion in order to “win” an argument
EX: “Teachers should give less homework
because students are so overworked!”
Hypothesis Contrary to Fact
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Forming a conclusion from a hypothetical
premise
EX: “If President Bush had never invaded
Iraq, we could have concentrated on
capturing Bin Laden and would have
caught and executed him by now.”
Non Sequitur
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Literally: “It does not follow”
When the conclusion does not follow
logically from the premise; irrelevant
reasons are used to support the claim
EX: “Mr Boswell couldn't be the person
who poisoned our cat, Truffles,
because when I used to take Truffles
for walks he always smiled and said
"Hello" when we walked by.”
Oversimplification
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AKA “reductive fallacy”
EX: “Kid's reading scores are going down
these days because of the internet.”
False/Bad Analogy
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Comparing apples to oranges; a bad
analogy falls apart when the two things
being compared have a significant
difference in an area fundamental to the
argument
EX: Schools should be run like businesses,
and since competition is good for
businesses, it should be good for schools,
too
Two Wrongs Make a Right
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Justifying a wrong action by reasoning that
the other person would do it to you, too
EX: After leaving a store, Jill notices that
she has underpaid by $10. She decides not
to return the money to the store because if
she had overpaid, they would not have
returned the money.