Announcements
• Midterm will be returned by
Monday.
Restate with Rhetoric
“Your cat is getting old. You should consider killing it to
help relieve her pain.”
• “Clearly, your cat is getting old. You definitely should
put it down.”
• “Clearly, your cat is getting old. You should consider
euthanizing it to stop its suffering.
• Your cat is aging. You should consider letting her go
to help relive her pain.
• Your cat is getting old, perhaps. You should consider
letting her go.
• Your little kitten is a thousand years old and you
should make her sleep forever to help relive her
pain.
Rhetoric
• Rhetorical devices not just about language
choice.
• Rhetorical devices also include “pretend
reasoning” called…
• Pseudoreasoning:
• Presenting premises that sound like part
of a legitimate argument, but do not
really give good reasons to believe a
conclusion.
Rhetoric
• Owens: “If it looks like a rat
and smells like a rat, by golly,
it is a rat."
• Owens was wrong…
• If it looks like an argument,
smells like an argument,
tastes like an argument, is it
an argument?
• No! Could just be
“pseudoreasoning”
Rhetoric
• Pseudoreasoning leads us to fallacies.
• Fallacies:
• Mistakes in reasoning.
Just because an argument
reminds us of a fallacy doesn’t
make it one.
Fallacies
•
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/410485/march-122012/daylight-savings-socialism
#1 -“
“Argument”
” from Outrage
•Instead of: Premise Conclusion
• We have: Inflammatory words
Conclusion
•Substitutes anger for reason.
What’
’s going on here?
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/362220/october-142010/people-destroying-america--goats-steal-landscaping-jobs
#2 - Special type: “Scapegoating”
”
•Inciting anger by blaming a certain group of
people or a single person for problems.
•Examples?
Rhetoric
Just because an argument is said
with anger doesn’t make it a
fallacy.
“Sarah owns a Leblanc
Saxophone. Since Leblanc makes
all their instruments in France,
Sarah must own a French
saxophone….dammit!!!”
Fallacies
What are these people trying to do?
1. Salesman:
“Buy Michelin tires. Don’t risk your children’s
safety by buying inferior brands.”
2. Political Pundit:
“Don’t vote for him. He doesn’t scare the
terrorists. If he’s in office the terrorists will surely
strike again.”
Fallacies
#3 - Scare Tactics
•Trying to scare us into accepting or doing
something.
•Substitutes fear for reason.
#4 - Special type: “Argument”
” from Force
• Using personal threats to convince
someone to accept or do something.
Fallacies
Argument from Force
This…
Salesman:
“Buy Michelin tires. Don’t risk your children’s
safety by buying inferior brands.”
Becomes this…
Salesman:
“Buy Michelin tires, or I’ll run you over.”
“Buy Michelin tires, or I’ll eat your children.”
Fallacies
Argument from Force
This…
Political Pundit:
“Don’t vote for him. He doesn’t scare the
terrorists. If he’s in office the terrorists will
surely strike again.”
Becomes this…
Political Pundit:
“Don‘t vote for him or I’ll have you fired!”
“Don’t vote for him or I’ll expose your affair on
television!”
Other Emotional Based
Fallacies
#5 - “Argument”
” From Pity
•“Officer, please don’t give me a ticket. My wife
just left me and my child has only one good eye.”
#6 - “Argument”
” From Envy
•“You shouldn’t let Bill Gates off the hook for a
traffic violation. He’s a millionaire and owns half
the universe.”
#7 - “Argument”
” From Pride (Apple Polishing)
•“Officer, thank you for protecting my
neighborhood and keeping us safe. If you think I
was speeding, I must have been. But do you think
you can find it in your kind heart to let me go this
one time?”
Group Exercise
In groups of 3- 6 come up with original examples
of each of the following fallacies:
1.“Argument” from Outrage
2. “Argument” using a Scapegoat.
3. Scare Tactics
4.“Argument” from Force
5.“Argument” from Pity
6.“Argument” from Envy
7.“Argument” from Pride (Apple Polishing)