Argument and Fallacies

ad misericordiam (appealing to pity)

an attempt to persuade by provoking sympathy

ad hominem

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

guilt by association

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

logic appeal

reason, data, facts, or statistics are used to create a persuasive argument

appeal to tradition

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

red herring (ignoring the question)

an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue

slippery slope

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

straw man

attributing an argument to an opponent that doesn’t represent the opponents true position

false dilemma (either/or)

fails to present all the choices available

ethical appeal

a method of persuasion based on author’s credibility