The Language

of Persuasion
Fallacies to Avoid
in Persuasive Writing

 fallacy

errors in reasoning that are

based on poor or faulty logic

 fallacy
#1 ad populum/bandwagon

MEANING: getting people to do/think something because “everyone

else is doing it” or “everything else thinks this”

EXAMPLES:
- wearing faded denims because it’s the current trend in fashion and
everyone who’s “in” is wearing it
- “Vote for Mr. X because everyone’s voting for him!”

 fallacy
#2
slippery slope

MEANING: making a claim about a series of events that would lead to

one major event, usually a bad event

EXAMPLE:
- “If we enact any kind of gun control laws, the next thing you know, we
won’t be allowed to have any guns at all. When that happens, we won’t
be able to defend ourselves against terrorist attacks, and when that
happens terrorists will take over our country. Therefore, gun control
laws will cause us to lose our country to terrorists.”

 fallacy
#3
hasty generalization

MEANING: making sweeping statements without basis

EXAMPLES:
- You’re guilty of this when you spend one day in Jakarta and upon your
return, you tell your friends that all Indonesians are modern,
sophisticated people, and that all their towns have first-class roads
with high-rise hotels and condominiums.
- “Even though it's only the first day, I can tell this is going to be a
boring subject.”

 fallacy
#4 post hoc ergo propter hoc

MEANING: (Latin for “after this, therefore because of this”) a conclusion

that assumes that if 'A' occurred after ‘B’, then 'B' must have caused ‘A’

EXAMPLES:
- “Our president raised taxes, and then suddenly the rate of violent
crime went up. I think our president is the one responsible for this rise
in crime rate.”
- “A number of immigrants settled in a nearby city. Then the city
suddenly suffered an economic decline. The immigrants’ arrival must
have caused the decline.”

 fallacy
#5
circular reasoning

MEANING: a kind of reasoning that merely restates the argument rather

than actually proving it

EXAMPLES:
- “You must follow the laws of the country because it is illegal to break
the law.”
- “Everyone at school loves Amy because she’s so popular.”

 fallacy
#6 red herring/ignoring the question

MEANING: avoiding the key issues and opposing arguments rather than
addressing them

EXAMPLES:
- “We can talk about my supposed affairs all night, but what the people
really want to know is when will politicians start working together?”
- Reporter: “Mr. Secretary, do you agree that your sale of the public are
to private investors failed to protect consumers?”
Mr. Secretary: “The opposition is merely trying to score political points
by bringing up this issue. Our department has been very fiscally
responsible in all of our actions.”

 fallacy
#7 either-or/false dilemma

MEANING: a conclusion that presents only two options or sides when

there are many options or sides

EXAMPLES:
- “You’re either for the war or against the troops.”
- “You can join us in PETA, or continue to condone the suffering of
animals.”
 

 fallacy
#8 ad hominem/name calling

MEANING: an attack on the character of a person rather than their

opinions or arguments

EXAMPLES:
- “Green Peace's strategies aren't effective because they are all dirty,
lazy hippies.”
- “She advocates for raising the minimum wage, but she is not smart
enough to even run a business.”

 fallacy
straw man
#9

MEANING: oversimplifying an opponent's viewpoint and then attacks

that hollow argument

EXAMPLES:
- “People who don't support the proposed state minimum wage
increase don’t care about the poor people at all.”
- Person 1: “I don’t believe sport hunting should be allowed.”
Person 2: “So you’re saying that everyone should be a vegetarian
because animals are more important than humans?”

 fallacy
appeal to fear
#10

MEANING: presenting a scary future if a certain decision is made (or not

made) today

EXAMPLES:
- “Elizabeth Smith doesn’t understand foreign policy. If you elect
Elizabeth Smith as president, we will be attacked by terrorists.”
- “The failure to pass this bill will lead to the end of civilization as we
know it!”

 Quiz 2 tomorr
ow
about fallacie
s
(open notes)
during asynchron
ous period
2:15-3:00 PM