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Rhetoric Study Guide
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc | A occurs before B. Therefore, A is the cause of B. |
| Slippery Slope | X has occurred. Therefore, Y will inevitably happen. |
| Straw Man | A has position X. B presents position Y (distorted version of X). B attacks position Y. Therefore, X is false. |
| Nonsequitor | Claim A is made. Evidence is presented for claim A. Therefore, claim C is true. |
| Circular Reasoning | X is true because of Y. Y is true because of X. |
| False Weak Analogy | A is like B. B has characteristic X. Therefore, A has characteristic X. |
| Either/Or | Either X or Y is true. |
| Red Herring | Argument A presented by person 1. Person 2 introduces argument B. Argument A is abandoned. |
| Hasty Generalization | Sample S is taken from population P. (not a very big population. Conclusion C is drawn from sample S. |
| Ad Hominem | Person 1 is claiming X. Person 1 is an idiot. Therefore, X is not true. |
| Ad Populum | A lot of people believe X. Therefore, X must be true. |
| Stacking the Deck | Argument X is presented. (argument X fails to address counterargument). |
| Equivocation | X is Y (meaning 1). Y (meaning 2) is Z. Therefore, X is Z. |
| Appeal to Tradition | X is old or traditional. Therefore, X is correct or better. |