Chapter 5 Fallacies of Argument

Fallacies are flawed arguments. They are flawed for a number of reasons, but all of them create
arguments that are incomplete or unfair. Recognizing fallacies in arguments helps you determine
whether evidence is valid or not. Needless to say, you should always try to avoid using fallacies in your
own writing.

Fallacies of Emotional Appeal

Scare tactics are used to stampede legitimate fears into panic or prejudice. People who are
afraid of using their jobs might be persuaded to fear immigrants taking their jobs for less money.
Either-Or Choices simplify arguments and reduce complicated issues to just two choices. They
are by nature emotional appeals: Give me liberty, or give me death but they oversimplify
arguments. When you only give your reader two choices, you are limiting the argument.
Slippery Slope arguments overstate a problem by suggesting that the consequences of a problem
are larger than they are. Notice the slippery slope argument on page 76 about gay marriage.
Overly sentimental appeals use tender, sentimental emotions to distract readers from facts.
These fallacies dont give a complete picture of the problem.
Bandwagon appeals urge people to follow the same path everyone is taking. Any argument that
begins with Everybody is doing. Is a fallacy because its almost impossible to prove.

Fallacies of Ethical Argument

Appeals to False Authority cite authorizes to support their argument. If these sources are not
authorities on this topic then they are false authorities. Check these sources and authorities
carefully before you accept their views.
Dogmatism asserts that there is only one acceptable way to view an issue. These arguments
assume that no argument is necessary because the truth is self-evident.
Ad Hominem Arguments attack the character of a person rather than the claims that he is
making.
Stacking the Deck occurs when a writer only provides one side of the argument. If you never
show opposing views, you are assuming that the reader only needs to see your evidence.

Fallacies of Logical Argument

Hasty Generalization is an inference drawn from insufficient evidence. Because my Honda broke
down and left me stranded, all Hondas have mechanical problems.
Faulty Causality (post hoc, ergo propter hoc) is the faulty assumption that because one event or
action follows another, the first causes the second. After eating at Taco Bell, I got food
poisoning.
Begging the Question presents evidence that is not relevant to the argument at hand. I cant get
a 2.0 in the course; Im a 4.0 student
Equivocation uses half-truths or arguments based on lies to support an argument. I wrote the
entire paper myself said the student who copied the paper but wrote it out himself.
Non-Sequitur is an argument whose claims, reasons, or warrants dont connect logically. They
occur when writer omit a step in logical reasoning or they jump to a conclusion too soon.
American students score poorly on standardized Math test; therefore, we need to spend more
money on Math education.
 Straw Man arguments set up a straw man to attack rather than to address an issue directly. An
example of a straw man argument is on page 86.
Red Herring arguments changes the subject abruptly to distract the reader from the argument
Faulty Analogy Extended comparisons are called analogies, but if the things being compared are
overstated, they become faulty. Banning smoking on campus is like telling students that they
dont have the right to vote.

Analyze the statements on the bottom of page 88. What type of fallacies do they represent?