Logical fallacies and 4 common modes of writing

American Literature EOCT Review

Logical fallacies are…

Illogical arguments Used to persuade

listeners/consumers to feel a certain way or do something

Comprised of over exaggerations, scare tactics, and/or emotional appeals

A way advertisers can try to manipulate consumers

What is a logical fallacy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWGiOuzpe4

Why should we know about them? They are EVERYWHERE: in tv and radio

commercials, print ads, television shows, movies, political speeches and ads

They have been used for centuries: everything from speeches in Julius Caesar to ads from the 1800’s to commercials today

We can avoid logical fallacies in our own writing and detect them in the writing of others

Knowledge of logical fallacies empowers us to be educated consumers in society.

Faulty reasoning

Circular reasoning: Trying to prove a statement by repeating it in different words “Antibiotics are being overused because

people take them too often.”

Cause-and-effect fallacy: Falsely assuming that because one event follows another, the first event caused the second: “If we don’t make laws limiting tattoos, there

will be more and more gang members.

Faulty reasoning

Either-or fallacy: Stating that there are only two alternatives when there are many “If we don’t set limits on prescribing

antibiotics, we will face worldwide epidemics caused by untreatable super microbes.”

Bandwagon: Everyone else is doing it so why not you? “Millions of people have switched to

[insert brand name here].”

Types of logical fallacies Testimonial: Using a “true” story to

convince the reader. “If it could happen to me…”

Card stacking: Only positive information is presented, without any contradictory or negative information. Nicotine has been shown to lower

incidences of Alzheimer’s disease, can boost the growth of new blood vessels, and may even reduce depression.

Faulty reasoning

Stereotyping: creates a simplified picture of a complex situation, individual, or group.

Rhetorical questions: Asks questions for which no answer is needed, to try to force the reader/listener to agree. “Are you tired of trash bags that rip

and tear?”

Examples

Cause-and-effect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SEGbRy5mIw&feature=autoplay&list=PLA88D7CD8A8A54AEA&index=4&playnext=3

Examples

Either/or, bandwagon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2y_GwKzxck Bandwagon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvCTaccEkMI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02vku-6fZWQ

Examples

Cause-effecthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge8aZqgxV7Q&NR=1

Testimonial, beautiful peoplehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLPltgIhZrI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ1_CQD1jS8

 

Examples

Card stacking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiWTcVHdSFo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl22YOOCreE

Stereotyping

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCA_d5qEF1k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L72rATeYN98

Examples

Rhetorical questions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXHUdvvHTkw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ide9dgoZkk

Four common types of writing

Narration: tells a story (fiction or nonfiction), usually has a plot, climax, and resolution

Descriptive: describes a person, place, or setting

Persuasion: attempts to influence the readers thoughts (here’s where logical fallacies come in)

Exposition: explains something (like an encyclopedia article)