Argument and Persuasion Terms

Argument

a logical statement of beliefs

Rhetoric

the art of persuasion in speaking and writing

Thesis

the most important idea of an argument, presentation, or piece of writing

Antithesis

a statement which expresses the opposing viewpoint in an argument

Premise (Proposition, assumption, assertion)

the basic statement upon whose truth an argument is based

Inference

a conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning

Deduction

a process of logic/reasoning that moves from a general idea to specific instances

Syllogism

3 part deductive argument: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion

Induction

A process of logic/reasoning that moves from specific examples to a general conclusion

Persuasion

the use of logos, pathos, or ethos (to convince a reader to adopt beliefs or follow a course of action)

Ethos

an appeal to credibility

Logos

an appeal to logic

Pathos

an appeal to emotions

Fallacy

a false or mistaken idea (a statement that resembles a logical argument, but isn’t logical)

Propaganda

biased or misleading information used to promote or publicize a cause or view

Ad hominem argument (to the man)

attacking the opponent rather than answering their argument

Name calling/Mudslinging

Giving a person or idea a bad label with an easy to remember derogatory name (a type of ad hominem argument)

Equivocation

telling part of the truth (while deliberately hiding the truth, AKA lying by omission)

Faulty Cause (Post hoc ergo propter hoc)

an argument that sets up a cause and effect relationship where none exists

Scapegoating

blaming a person or group for a problem so those who are actually responsible are distanced (from guilt or to distract the audience from the need to fix it)

Either/Or Fallacy (“False Dichotomy”)

an argument is built on the assumption that there are only two possible outcomes

Glittering Generalizations (Virtue Words)

the use of vague, sweeping statements that use language associated with values and deeply held beliefs

Bandwagon Appeal

the belief that an argument is valid because a majority of people accept it

Deification

an idea made to seem holy or sacred and therefore above all law

Plain Folks

appealing to the audience because they are the same ideas of the vast majority of people like YOU

Snob appeal

the “quality” of a product that appeals to a consumer with snobby tastes

Testimonial

a respected celebrity (or someone generally hated) claims a product is good (or bad)

Card stacking/Smoke screen

manipulating information to make a product appear better by unfair comparisons or omitting facts

False analogy

an illogical or misleading comparison OR when an analogy is taken too far and loses effectiveness

Repetition

repeated use of a word, phrase, statement, or image

Demonizing the enemy

degrading or belittling opponents to sway opinion

Appeal to authority (argumentum ad verecundiam)

uses the prestige of an authority

Appeal to force (Argumentum ad baculum)

using force, intimidation, or threats in place of reason

Appeal to ignorance

believing the claim is true because there is no evidence to prove it (X is true because you can prove C is false)

Appeal to pity

exploiting emotions of pity or guilt

Appeal to tradition

arguing something is better because it’s older, traditional, or “has always been done”

Loaded question

When a question assumes something that has not been proven or accepted by all the people involved.

Transfer (Guilt by Association / Virtue by Association, Beautiful People

attempting to make the audience view a certain item in the same way they view another item

Non-sequitur

a statement that does not logically the statement that came before it

Begging the Question/Circular Reasoning

argument that assumes that parts (or all) of what a person claims to be proving are already proven facts (proving something true using your own argument as proof)

Catch-22

a situation in which one is trapped by contradictory regulations or conditions; any illogical or paradoxical problem or situation; preventing the resolution

Damning with faint praise

to praise so slightly, it can be taken as criticism

Dogmatism

Stubborn or arrogant assertion of belief or opinion

Poisoning the well

presenting negative information about a speaker before they speak to discredit them

Patriotic Approach

asserting that a certain stance is true or correct because it is somehow patriotic, and that those who disagree are unpatriotic

Red herring

an attempt to shift attention away from an important issue by introducing a topic that is irrelevant

Reductio ad absurdum

a method of countering an opponent's claim by extending the logic of the opponent's argument to a point of absurdity

Scare tactic/appeal to fear

when fear, not based on evidence or reason, is being used as the primary motivator to get others to accept an idea

Sentimental appeal

a general category that use emotion in place of reason in order to attempt to win the argument.

Slanting

deliberately omitting, deemphasizing, or exaggerating certain points to the exclusion of others in order to hide evidence that is relevant to the argument

Slippery slope

an argument that suggests dire consequences from relatively minor causes

Tu quoque (“you too”)

the fallacy/appeal to hypocrisy

Straw man

an opposing viewpoint that you set up so you can refute it OR oversimplifying an opponents argument to make it easier to attack

Sweeping Generalizations

there seems to be sufficient evidence, however, the conclusion drawn far exceeds what the evidence supports

Two Wrongs Make a Right

When you defend your wrong action as being right because someone previously has acted wrongly

Wrenching from context

A passage is removed from its surrounding matter in such a way as to distort its intended meaning (a type of straw man appeal to authority)

Hasty Generalization

a broad claim based on too-limited evidence

Misuse of statistics

presenting statistics in a misleading or incomplete manner