Rhetorical Appeals and Logical Fallicies by Zach Byrum https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm Notes about ethos, logos, pathos, and some logical fallacies. Created for Skatrud's Public Speaking class. en-us 2016-10-05 18:06:39 UTC 2016-10-10 03:59:22 UTC hello@padlet.com Ethos 17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128599209 Apeal to ethics. ]]> 2016-10-05 18:20:56 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128599209 Pathos 17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128603128 Appeal to emotion]]> 2016-10-05 18:28:48 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128603128 Logos 17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128876534 Appeal to logic]]> 2016-10-06 16:08:47 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128876534 Hasty Generalization 17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128876976 Coming to a conclusion based on small sample size.
Example: Four out of five dentists recommend Happy Glossy Smiley toothpaste brand.  Therefore, it must be great.
Explanation: It turns out that only five dentists were actually asked.  When a random sampling of 1000 dentists were polled, only 20% actually recommended the brand.  The four out of five result was not necessarily a biased sample or a dishonest survey, it just happened to be a statistical anomaly common among small samples.]]> 2016-10-06 16:09:54 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128876976 Ad Hominem (Abusive) 17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128885422 Attacking the person arguing, attack is irrelevant to the argument.
Example: My opponent suggests that lowering taxes will be a good idea -- this is coming from a woman who eats a pint of Ben and Jerry’s each night!
Explanation:
The fact that the woman loves her ice cream, has nothing to do with the lowering of taxes, and therefore, is irrelevant to the argument. Ad hominem attacks are usually made out of desperation when one cannot find a decent counter argument.


]]> 2016-10-06 16:27:23 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/128885422 Post Hoc 17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129397260 Occurring after the event
Example:  After surgery, my wife was not doing too well -- she was in a lot of pain.  I bought these magnetic wristbands that align with the body's natural vibrations to reduce the pain, and sure enough, a few days later the pain subsided!  Thank you magic wristbands!
Explanation: It is normal to be in pain after any significant surgery.  It is also normal for the pain to subside as the body heals -- this is the body regressing to the mean.  Assuming the magic wristbands caused the pain relief and ignoring the regression back to the mean, is fallacious.]]> 2016-10-10 03:19:17 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129397260 Slippery Slope 17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129398550 Insignificant event leads to a significant event which leads to a more significant event.
Example: If you accept that the story of Adam and Eve was figurative, then you will do the same for most of the Old Testament stories of similar literary styles.  Once you are there, the New Testament and the story of Jesus does not make sense, which will lead you to believe that the resurrection of Jesus was a “spiritual” one.  Once you accept that, you won’t be a Christian anymore, you will be a dirty atheist, then you will have no morals and start having sex with animals of a barnyard nature.  So you better take the story of Adam and Eve literally, before the phrase, “that chicken looks delicious”, takes on a whole new meaning.
Explanation:  Accepting the story of Adam and Eve as figurative rarely (it is sad that I cannot confidently say “never”) leads to bestiality.]]> 2016-10-10 03:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129398550 Bandwagon 17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129400531 Believing or agreeing with something just because everyone else is doing it.
Example: How could you not believe in virgin births?  Roughly two billion people believe in them, don’t you think you should reconsider your position?
Explanation:  Anyone who believes in virgin births does not have empirical evidence for his or her belief.  This is a claim accepted on faith, which is an individual and subjective form of accepting information, that should not have any effect on your beliefs.  Don’t forget that there was a time that the common beliefs included a flat earth, earth-centered universe, and demon-possession as the cause of most illness.]]> 2016-10-10 03:46:22 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129400531 Straw Man  17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129400925 Substituting a person’s  argument with a misrepresented version of the position of the argument.
Example: Ted: Biological evolution is both a theory and a fact.
Edwin: That is ridiculous!  How can you possibly be absolutely certain that we evolved from pond scum!
Ted: Actually that is a gross misrepresentation of my assertion.  I never claimed we evolved from pond scum.  Unlike math and logic, science is based on empirical evidence and, therefore, a scientific fact is something that is confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional consent.  The empirical evidence for the fact that biological evolution does occur falls into this category.
Explanation:
Edwin has ignorantly mischaracterized the argument by a) assuming we evolved from pond scum (whatever that is exactly), and b) assuming “fact” means “certainty”.


]]> 2016-10-10 03:50:23 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129400925 Red Herring  17byrumz https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129401414 Attempting to redirect the argument to another issue
Example: Billy: How could the universe be 6000 years old when we know the speed of light, the distance of astronomical objects (13+ billion light years away), and the fact that the light has reached us[1]?
Marty: 6000 years is not a firm number.  The universe can be as old as about 10,000 years.
Billy: How do you figure that?...
Explanation: Marty has succeeded in avoiding the devastating question by introducing a new topic for debate... shifting the young-earth creation timeline where it does not necessarily coincide with the Bible.
]]> 2016-10-10 03:55:10 UTC https://padlet.com/17byrumz/uataw4a876lm/wish/129401414