Ap Lang Fallacies + Inductive/Deductive Reasoning

Inductive Reasoning

moves from specific evidence to a generalization or conclusion

Deductive Reasoning

Start from a generalization and apply it to a new situation in order to draw a conclusion

Fallacy

inappropriate emotional appeals and flaws in reasoning

appealing to pity

“ad misericordiam” an attempt to persuade by provoking sympathy

bandwagon appeal

“ad populum” everyone else believes something so the reader should too

appealing to tradition

something is better or correct simply because it is older, traditional, or “always been done that way”

ad hominem

“to the man” attacking the person rather than statements the person has made

guilty by association

a person rejects a claim simply because it is pointed out that people she dislikes accept the claim (political parties)

equivocating

ambitious/multiple meanings in an argument (banning cell phones/ political activism)

ignoring the question

“red herring” an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue

straw man

attributing an argument to an opponent that does not represent the opponent’s true position (4 day school week, online education) Twisting words around

false dilemma (either/or)

fails to present all the choices available

slippery slope

suggesting that one step will inevitably lead to more, eventually negative steps. while sometimes the results maybe be negative, the slippery slope argues that the descent is inevitable and unalterable