Logical and Rhetorical Fallacies

Ethos

A rhetorical appeal to ethics and credibility, used to persuade an audience by establishing the speaker's trustworthiness or moral character.

Pathos

A rhetorical appeal to emotion, used to persuade an audience by evoking feelings such as sympathy, anger, or joy.

Logos

A rhetorical appeal to logic and reason, used to persuade an audience through the use of facts, statistics, and logical arguments.

Cognitive Dissonance

A psychological phenomenon that occurs when an individual experiences conflicting beliefs, values, or emotions, leading to discomfort and an urge to resolve the inconsistency.

Asyndeton

A rhetorical device that omits conjunctions between phrases or clauses, creating a concise and impactful statement.

Apophasis

A rhetorical device that brings up a subject by denying it or pretending to pass over it, often used to highlight a point indirectly.

We won't discuss his past crimes

Anaphora 

A rhetorical device that involves the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences, creating emphasis and rhythm.

Anadiplosis

A rhetorical device in which a word or phrase at the end of one clause or sentence is repeated at the beginning of the next, creating a connection and enhancing meaning.

Aphorism

A concise statement that expresses a general truth or principle, often in a memorable way.

Euphemism

A figure of speech that replaces a harsh, blunt, or offensive term with a more mild or vague expression, often to soften the impact of the statement.

Hypophoria

a speaker or writer asks a question and then immediately answers it

Ad Hoc

Very often we desperately want to be right and hold on to certain beliefs, despite any evidence presented to the contrary.  As a result, we begin to make up excuses as to why our belief could still be true, and is still true, despite the fact that we have no real evidence for what we are making up.

Post Hoc

a logical fallacy that assumes one event caused another simply because the events occur in sequence: 

"after this, therefore because of this".

Red Herring

a logical fallacy that occurs when someone presents irrelevant or misleading information to distract from the main issue

Tricolon

rhetorical device that uses three words or phrases in a row to emphasize a point

Non Sequitur

a statement or conclusion that does not logically follow from the previous statement or premises

Claim of Policy

an argument that asserts a course of action should be taken to address a problem or change the status quo

Claims  of Fact

a statement that asserts something is true and can be proven or disproven with evidence

Ad Hominem

directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

False Dilemma/Dichotomy

the fallacy of presenting only two choices, outcomes, or sides to an argument as the only possibilities, when more are available

Juxtaposition

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect

Slippery Slope

a logical fallacy that occurs when someone argues that a small action or decision will lead to a chain of events that result in a negative outcome

Correlation/Causation

a logical fallacy that occurs when a person assumes a cause-and-effect relationship between two events based on a correlation, or observed association, between them

antithesis

opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction
ex) "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more."

apostrophe

a sudden turn from the general audience to address a specific group or person or personified abstraction absent or present

asyndeton

lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words
ex) "But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground."

polysyndeton

the repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses

chiasmus

words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form; e.g. ‘Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds.’

oxymoron

apparent paradox achieved by the juxtoposition of words which seem to contradict one another
ex) "I must be cruel only to be kind."

Antiphrasis

way of making people smile or laugh as a result of leading them to expect one thing then suggesting something else 

Verisimilitude

setting aside logic for the sake of the story they want to believe 

Invective

insulting, abusive, or highly critical language

Idiom

two things that are seemingly in opposite of each other actually support each other