TFY-Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Fallacies

1. Misleading euphemism are words that hide meaning by wrapping a less acceptable idea in positive or neutral connotations.

2. Appeals to fear and pity seek to persuade through affecting emotions rather than through sound rational support for an argument.

3. Word ambiguity uses undefined and vague words in an argument, seeking to gain an advantage by using words that could be interpreted in more than one way.

4. Appeal to false authority seeks to influence others by citing phony or inappropriate authorities. This false authority might be a person, a tradition, or conventional wisdom.

5. Prejudicial language persuades through the use of loaded words that convey a bias while pretending to convey objective information.

6. Poisoning the well seek to prejudice others against a person, group, or idea and prevent their positions from being heard. This technique seeks to remove the neutrality necessary for
listening and to implant prejudice instead.

7. Person attack refuses another argument by attacking the opponent rather than addressing the argument itself. This fallacy can take form of using abusive language or name-calling.

8. Circular reasoning is the assertion or repeated assertion of a conclusion as though the conclusion were a reason.

9. The red herring is a ploy of distraction. It makes a claim, and then instead of following through with support, it minimizes the issue or attention into irrelevant issues.