RHETORICAL FALLACIES
On Friday, December 7, you will have a test on rhetorical fallacies. This handout / worksheet supplements the handouts I have given and the notes you should have
taken on your classmates’ presentations. Therefore, it may not contain everything you need to know for the quiz.
For the test, be sure you understand the meaning of “rhetorical fallacy” and the difference between logos, ethos, and pathos. Furthermore, you are responsible for the
following terms (Latin terms included) and concepts. You should be able to define / explain them in your own words, to identify the fallacy, to explain a specific example of
a fallacy , to generate some original examples, to avoid the use of them, and to repair sentences containing fallacies.
LOGICAL
FALLACY
(PRESENTER)
ad ignorantiam /
appeal to
ignorance (Robin)
ad nauseam /
argument by
repetition
(Laurens)
ad populum /
appeal to the
public (Joel)
circulus in
demonstrando /
circular reasoning
(Dara)
and
petitio principii /
begging the
question (Tommy)
DEFINITION / EXPLANATION
IN YOUR OWN WORDS
EXAMPLES
Since the class has no questions
concerning the topics discussed in
class, the class is ready for a test.
In spite of all the talk, not a single
flying saucer report has been
authenticated. Therefore, there is
no such thing as flying saucers.
Drugs are wrong, drugs are
wrong. If you aren’t convinced yet,
I’ll say it again – drugs are wrong!
Since most people in the world eat
meat, there are no ethical issues
involved in meat-eating.
Since 88% of the people polled
believed in UFOs, they must exist.
You can’t give me a C. I’m an A
student!
She is unattractive because she is
ugly.
We know that God exists, since
the Bible says God exists. What
the Bible says must be true, since
God wrote it and God never lies.
To say abortion is a private matter
is to lose touch with common
sense. How we treat one another
is practically the definition of a
public moral matter. Of course,
there are many private aspects of
human relations, but the question
EXPLANATION OF
THE EXAMPLES
YOUR OWN EXAMPLES
either-or fallacy
(Aaron)
of whether one human being
should be allowed to fatally harm
another is not one of them.
Abortion is inescapably a public
matter.
You are either with us or against
us.
equivocation /
half-truths
(Marina)
You have to eat your vegetables
or you won’t grow up big and
strong.
Evolution is just a theory.
Therefore, it shouldn’t be taught in
the public schools as fact.
false analogy
(Nate)
The average family has 2.5
children. Well, Jane’s family is
very average. So, they must have
2.5 children.
Employees are like nails. Just as
nails must be hit in the head in
order to make them work, so must
employees.
non sequitur
(Canissa)
People are like dogs. They
respond best to clear discipline.
Racism is wrong; therefore, we
need affirmative action.
slanted language
(Karl)
Smoking is dangerous, but nearly
everything in life has some
danger, such as driving a car. So,
if you are willing to drive a car, you
should also be wiling to smoke.
I am firm. You are obstinate. He is
pigheaded.
testimonials
(Laura)
anecdotal
evidence
Our valiant heroes have prevailed.
Their savage forces have been
defeated.
Shaquille O’Neal drinks Pepsi, so
it must be better than Coke.
"There's abundant proof that God
exists and is still performing
miracles today. Just last week I
read about a girl who was dying of
cancer. Her whole family went to
church and prayed for her, and
hasty
generalizations
A hasty generalization draws a
general rule from a single,
perhaps atypical, case.
sweeping
generalization
assumes that what is true under
certain conditions must be true
under all conditions
Describes a complex situation in
simplistic terms that neglect the
complexity of the situation
Latin = after this, therefore
because of this; argues that one
thing caused another just because
it happened before it
oversimplification
post hoc ergo
propter hoc /
false-cause fallacy
red herring
irrelevant topic is presented in
order to divert attention from the
original issue.
special pleading
a person applies standards,
principles, rules, etc. to others
while taking herself (or those she
has a special interest in) to be
exempt, without providing
adequate justification for the
exemption.
stacked evidence
represents only one side of the
issue, thus distorting the issue.
ETHICAL
FALLACY
(PRESENTER)
ad hominem /
argument directed
at the person
(Damita)
DEFINITION / EXPLANATION
IN YOUR OWN WORDS
she was cured."
My neighbor is a very annoying,
angry man. He is a doctor.
Therefore, all doctors are
annoying and angry people.
Jogging is healthy exercise, so
you should take it up for your heart
condition."
Unemployment would cease to be
a major problem if we got rid of
illegal aliens.
Over a period of 20 years, there
was an increase of stork sighting
in a town in Germany. During the
same period, there were increased
births. Therefore, the storks must
have caused the increase in
births.
You may claim that the death
penalty is an ineffective deterrent
against crime -- but what about the
victims of crime? How do you think
surviving family members feel
when they see the man who
murdered their son kept in prison
at their expense?
Barbara accepts that all murderers
should be punished for their
crimes. Although she murdered
Bill, Barbara claims she is an
exception because she really
would not like going to prison.
Therefore, the standard of
punishing murderers should not be
applied to her.
Cats are superior to dogs because
they are cleaner, cuter, and more
independent.
EXAMPLES
Who cares what you think about
movies? You're just an ignorant
American who doesn't know
anything about real culture.
Prof. Smith says to Prof. White,
EXPLANATION OF
THE EXAMPLES
YOUR OWN EXAMPLES
"You are much too hard on your
students," and Prof. White replies,
"But certainly you are not the one
to say so. Just last week I heard
several of your students
complaining."
Einstein is a genius, and he
believed that a strong government
is one with left-wing tendencies.
You think that 1+1=2. But Adolph
Hitler believed that 1+1=2, so you
shouldn’t believe it.
ad verecundiam /
false authority
(Adam)
guilt by
association
(Denise)
straw man / straw
person (Veasey)
PATHETIC
FALLACY
(PRESENTER)
ad baculum /
appeal to fear
(Kidus)
ad antiquitatem /
appeal to tradition
(Ayasha)
ad misericordiam /
appeal to pity or
sentimentality
(Julia)
bandwagon
(Paula)
false need (Leah)
DEFINITION / EXPLANATION
IN YOUR OWN WORDS
EXAMPLES
You should believe in my God,
because if you do not and he is
real, you will go to Hell.
You need to get all A’s on your
transcript in order to get into
college.
You need an expensive car or
people won’t think you are cool.
WEBSITES
A List of Fallacious Arguments: http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/skeptic/arguments.html
The Fallacy Files: http://www.fallacyfiles.org/
A Guide to Logical Fallacies: http://www.galilean-library.org/int16.html
Logic in Argumentative Writing: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/03/
Logical Fallacies: http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/logic.html
Logical Fallacies and the Art of Debate: http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/fallacies.html
Rhetorical Fallacies: http://projects.uwc.utexas.edu/handouts/?q=node/30
EXPLANATION OF
THE EXAMPLES
YOUR OWN EXAMPLES