Rhetorical Proofs and
Fallacies
Week 10 – Wednesday, October 28
QUIZ
1. What is the mnemonic device the text provides to help you
remember the logical proofs?
2. Which proof does a cause-and-effect argument appeal to?
3. What is another name for a cause-and-effect argument?
4. What are two examples of things an author might do to
build credibility (or, to use arguments from authority)?
5. What are two types of emotional proofs?
QUIZ - answers
1. What is the mnemonic device the text provides to help you
remember the logical proofs?
SICDADS (Sign, Induction, Cause, Deduction, Analogy,
Definition, Statistics)
2. Which proof does a cause-and-effect argument appeal to?
Logos
3. What is another name for a cause-and-effect argument?
Argument from cause
4. What are two examples of things an author might do to
build credibility (or, to use arguments from authority)?
1. Refer to their credentials/experience that establish their
own expertise
2. Quote others who are experts
5. What are two types of emotional proofs?
motivational and value proofs
Rhetorical Proofs
Logos, Ethos, and Pathos – Aristotelian proofs, or appeals
The “appeals” as we call them – not strategies, but they can be
distinguished by the type of strategy that’s used
 Logical/Logos
 Argument from sign – visible sign to prove either certainty or
probability of a claim
 Argument from generalization/example (induction) – “uses
examples to lead into a claim or generalization about the examples”
(Wood 144)
 Argument from cause (or a cause-and-effect argument) – develops a
cause/effect situation (either the whole text or one aspect of the
argument)
 Argument from principle (deduction) – starts with a general
principle, applies to an example, and draws a conclusion
 Argument from analogy – explains that something we don’t
know about in terms of something we do know about
 Historical (similar cases) – connects now to the past
 Literal (same category) – compares two things from the same
category and connects what happened in one case could happen in
the other case (similarities/differences)
 Figurative (different categories) – similar to metaphor, which
compares to unlike things
 only works when used to “identify real qualities that are shared by both
items and that can then be applied to help prove the claim logically”
(Wood 146)
 Argument from definition – using specific definitions of key
terms to argue about a subject
 Argument from statistics – uses quantitative data to support a
claim
 Credibility/Ethos
 Argument from authority
 Describe their own credentials or experience
 Uses quotes from experts
 Emotional/Pathos
 Motivational – motivate people to change
 Political speech, product ads
 Value
 Describes what everyone supposedly values
 Language
 Logos – uses rational and often denotative language (words that
are not likely to have connotations that vary by individuals and
groups)
 Ethos – uses language that is:
 appropriate for the audience and context (no jargon, slang,
colloquial language)
 Correct grammar and editing (lack of these, and inappropriate
vocabulary can destroy ethos)
 Pathos – language that appeals to pathos includes:





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Emotionally loaded language (draws on connotative meaning)
Emotional examples
Vivid description
Narrative of emotional event(s)
Emotional tone, including irony and sarcasm
Figurative analogies
 See Box 7.1 in Essentials of Argument (154) for a brief
overview of these types of proofs and how language and
style might be used in argument
Fallacies
Fallacy: the use of faulty reasoning and bad evidence; the use of
ineffective proofs
Logical Fallacies – Wood urges you to focus on the “fallacious
thinking” of these fallacies rather than worry about the exact
names (but you will be expected to use the appropriate terms in
your paper if you identify any of these fallacies).
 Begging the Question
 Red Herring
 Non Sequitur
 Straw Man
 Misusing Evidence
 Either-Or
 Post Hoc
 Hasty Generalization
 Fallacies That Damage Ethos
 Ad Hominem
 Guilt by Association
 Using Authority Instead of Evidence
 Emotional Fallacies
 Bandwagon Appeal
 Slippery Slope
 Creating False Needs