Transcript Fallacies - WordPress.com

Rhetoric and
Logical Fallacies
Logos, Ethos, Pathos
• Argument that appeals to logic
• Examples:
•Statistics, arguments with proof, lists
of features…
• Argument based on the reputation of
a person or expert
• Example:
•A doctor endorsed medicine
•Celebrity endorsement
• Argument based on emotion; tugs at
the proverbial heartstrings
• “Pathetic”
• Example:
•The animal abuse commercials with
pictures of sad eyed puppies and
kittens.
Pathos
Ethos
Logos
Pathos
Look at the text given and answer the following questions:
1. Who is the author/speaker? For what is he/she known?
2. What is the main idea, or topic, of the text?
3. What is the time period? How do the events of the time influence
the text and the speaker?
4. Who is the intended audience?
5. What is the author’s point of view on the topic? What is he/she
trying to get the audience to do or believe?
6. What persuasive strategies does the author use? (Logos, Ethos,
Pathos) How do you know?
7. How does the author organize the text? (most important to least
important, chronologically, etc.) How does this organization
help the argument/persuasion?
• Locate print ads (magazines) or
multimedia ads (TV/YouTube)
• Bring the ad to class (cut it out or
bring on a flash drive)
• Due date:
Rhetoric
• Fallacies are kinds of errors in logic
or problems in reasoning
• They should not be persuasive, but
they often are…
• They may be created unintentionally,
or intentionally in order to deceive
people
Definition
Dismisses the facts, and attacks the person
instead
Hints
Name calling
Examples
Mueller’s books on shark attacks are
worthless because he is a convicted
embezzler and forger.
Definition
• appeal to emotions of the reader
• panders to popular passion or sentiment
Hint
“To the people”
Think patriotism, virtues, values, and
sometimes tradition
Definition
-it’s a form of ad populum
- An appeal to peer pressure and
group identity
Hint
Think: Everyone else is doing it
Definition
Plain Folks- someone rich, famous
and/or well-known claims to be
ordinary
Snob Appeal- use/believe this and
you'll be like the rich, famous,
beautiful
Hint
Makes you relate (or want to relate) to
someone because you are like them or
want to be MORE like them
Definition: It appeals to the
emotions rather than the mind of
the reader- stronger appeal than
ad populum
Example
For only pennies a day, you can save this child’s life
(insert unhealthy, unhappy picture here)
Definition
an assumption that one step will
inevitably lead to a second, usually
undesirable step.
Hint
Watch for extreme assumptions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KQQc
YEbMNM&feature=relmfu
Definition: one, therefore all
OR
If all, therefore one
Examples:
That high school student is so immature. All
high school students are immature.
OrAll the kids from that school are stuck up, so
the kid who just transferred over must be
stuck up too.
• Questionable Cause: Since event B followed
event A, B must have been caused by A.
• Hasty Generalization: reaching a
generalization based on insufficient evidence;
without considering all of the variables
• Appeal to False Authority: either the authority
is not a subject-matter expert or there is no
consensus among the experts, or both
Is the purpose to PERSUADE?
YES look for fallacies
NO probably does not contain fallacies
Is the information TRUE and verifiable?
YES probably does not contain fallacies
NO text may contain fallacies
Does the information contain FACTS TO BACK UP
THE GENERALIZATIONS?
YES probably does not contain fallacies
NO text may contain fallacies
Is the language LITERAL or FIGURATIVE?
LITERAL? Text may contain fallacies
FIGURATIVE? Text probably does not contain
fallacies
Using two ads (print or video) answer the following questions:
1. What is the product being sold?
2. What is happening in the ad? What is the layout or storyline? Is
there a particular focus in the ad? (e.g. bold print, bright
colors, a central character, etc.)
3. How does the advertiser use the items from #2 to help persuade
the intended audience?
4. Who is the intended audience? (be specific: teenage girls worried
about acne)
5. What is the author’s point of view on the topic? What is he/she
trying to get the audience to do or believe?
6. What fallacies are present in the ad? (give examples and name
the fallacy) How do you know?
7. What persuasive strategies does the author use? (Logos, Ethos,
Pathos) How do you know?
Locate a print or video advertisement.
• With a partner or small group analyze
and then recreate (remix) the ad to
target a different audience.
• The original ad, the analysis and the
remixed ad will be presented in front
of the class.
1. Describe and/or show the original ad.
2. Name the product/service being advertised.
3. Explain layout and fallacies in original ad.
4. Create remixed ad, present it, and explain
changes made in order to target the new
audience.
5. Use and explain at least two logical fallacies
in the remixed ad.
6. Use and explain Logos, Ethos, or Pathos in the
remixed ad.
• Men (dads, single men,
etc.)
• Women (moms, single
women, etc.)
• Teenagers (boys, girls,
both)
• Children (babies,
elementary)
• Elderly
• Texans
• Minnesotans
• Californians
•
•
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•
•
•
•
•
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•
Soccer Moms
Hipsters
Fashionistas
Tree-Huggers
Affluent (rich) consumers
Harvard Grad
Jocks
Celebrity/Socialite
Teachers
Etc.