Fallacies:

1
Fallacies

• Strategies used to intentionally mislead,
  misinform, or deceive.

2
Faulty Analogy

• Definition
• Compare 2 things that are not really alike
• Faulty analogies are NOT similes, though they
  generally use like or as.

• Example
• Teaching teens about sex and birth control is
  like taking an alcoholic into a bar.

3
Ad Hominemto the man

• Definition
• Attack your opponent, not your opponents
  argument
• Clues
• Strong biased words that attack a person

• Example
• The editorial called the defendant a criminal, a
  moral degenerate, a seducer of young women.

4
Misuse of Humor

• Definition
• Funny at first but then deeply critical

• Example
• The joke about former President Clinton and his
  affair with Monica Lewinski Cant we just
  impeach Clinton from the waist down?

5
Quick Fix

• Definition
• Catchy phrase or empty slogan will solve a
  problem
• Clue
• slogans

• Example
• When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have
  guns. (National Rifle Association)

6
Either/Or

• Definition
• Give only 2 choices in a fairly complex issue,
  one right and one wrong.

• Example
• America love it or leave it.
• Are you part of the problem or part of the
  solution?

7
Ad Populumto the people

• Definition
• Appeal to emotions of the reader
• Clue
• Emotions replace facts

• Example
• Positive use of words such as America,
  liberty, freedom.
• Negatives terrorists, insurgents
• Positives in ads babies, pets, families

8
Contrary to Fact

• Definition
• Something in the past might have happened and
  then today things would be different
• Clue
• if and then

• Example
• If Id gotten better grades in Jr High, Id be
  getting better grades today.
• If he had not been drinking at the party, hed
  be alive today.

9
Snob Appeal

• Definition
• Use/believe this and youll be like the rich,
  famous, and beautiful.
• Clue
• Promises to make a desire come true

• Example
• Drink Mountain Dew and your life will be one big
  adventure.

10
Hasty Generalization

• Definition
• Base an argument on weak or insignificant evidence

• Example
• If we elect her, our taxes will surely go up.

11
Bandwagon

• Definition
• Everyone is doing it everyone believes it.

• Example
• Popular teens wear _______.

12
Over-simplification

• Definition
• Give one simple cause to a complex effect
• Clue
• False cause-and-effect relationship.

• Example
• I failed the class because the teacher doesnt
  like me.

13
Two Wrongs Make a Right

• Definition
• Argue that you are just doing what everyone else
  is doing, even if the action is wrong.

• Example
• Why did you stop me for speeding? I was going
  just as fast as everyone else on I 94!

14
Questions to ask as you begin looking for
fallacies
15
1. Is the purpose of the text to persuade?

• Yes text may contain fallacies
• No text probably does not contain fallacies

16
2. Is the information in the text true?

• Yes text probably does not contain fallacies
• No text may contain fallacies

17
3. Does the text contain facts to back up the
generalizations?

• Yes text probably does not contain fallacies
• No text may contain fallacies

18
4. Is the language literal or figurative?

• Literal text may contain fallacies
• Figurative text probably does not contain
  fallacies