any kind of fallacious argument that criticizes an idea by pointing something out about the person who holds the idea, rather than directly addressing the actual merit of the idea.

Argument from Authority

tempts us to agree with the writer's assumptions based on the authority of a famous person or entity or on his or her own character.

based on the assumption that whatever has not been proven false must be true.

a fallacious form of argument in which someone assumes that parts of what the person claims to be proving are proven facts.

a writer will deliberately lead you to a conclusion by providing insufficient, selective evidence.

a statement that does not relate logically to what comes before it.

a consideration of only the two extremes when there are one or more intermediate possibilities.

suggests dire consequences from relatively minor causes.

the setting up of a cause-and-effect relationship when nothing exists.

an over simplification of an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.

commonly used tactic attempts to appeal to the hearts of readers so that they forget to use their minds.

attempts to shift attention away from an important issue by introducing an issue that has no logical connection to the discussion at hand.

used to frighten reader or listeners into agreeing with the speaker; often, when it is used, the speaker has no logical argument on which to fall back.

"peer pressure". Encourages the listener to agreeing with a position because everyone else does.

does not allow for discussion because the speaker presumes that his or her beliefs are beyond question.

telling part of the truth, while deliberately hiding the entire truth; typically, this is similar to lying by omission.

an illogical, misleading comparison between two things.

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Rhetorical Fallacies

Term	Definition
Ad Hominem Argument	any kind of fallacious argument that criticizes an idea by pointing something out about the person who holds the idea, rather than directly addressing the actual merit of the idea.
Argument from Authority	tempts us to agree with the writer's assumptions based on the authority of a famous person or entity or on his or her own character.
Appeal to Ignorance	based on the assumption that whatever has not been proven false must be true.
Begging the Question	a fallacious form of argument in which someone assumes that parts of what the person claims to be proving are proven facts.
Hasty Generalization	a writer will deliberately lead you to a conclusion by providing insufficient, selective evidence.
Non Sequitur	a statement that does not relate logically to what comes before it.
False Dichotomy	a consideration of only the two extremes when there are one or more intermediate possibilities.
Slippery Slope	suggests dire consequences from relatively minor causes.
Faulty Causality	the setting up of a cause-and-effect relationship when nothing exists.
Straw Man Argument	an over simplification of an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.
Sentimental Appeals	commonly used tactic attempts to appeal to the hearts of readers so that they forget to use their minds.
Red Herring	attempts to shift attention away from an important issue by introducing an issue that has no logical connection to the discussion at hand.
Scare Tactics	used to frighten reader or listeners into agreeing with the speaker; often, when it is used, the speaker has no logical argument on which to fall back.
Bandwagon Appeals	"peer pressure". Encourages the listener to agreeing with a position because everyone else does.
Dogmatism	does not allow for discussion because the speaker presumes that his or her beliefs are beyond question.
Equivocation	telling part of the truth, while deliberately hiding the entire truth; typically, this is similar to lying by omission.
Faulty Analogy	an illogical, misleading comparison between two things.

Created by: 25macicsickels

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