Propaganda and Logical Fallacies An Introduction to the Art of Argument

Propaganda Propaganda is information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Bandwagon Bandwagon: makes the appeal that “everyone else is doing it, and so should you.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmB_Uw5fVec http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUZrrbgCdYc

Glittering Generalities Glittering Generalities: use of virtue words; the opposite of name calling, i.e., links a person, or idea, to a positive symbol. Ex: I stand for freedom: for a strong nation, unrivaled in the world. My opponent believes we must compromise on these ideals, but I believe they are our birthright.

Begging the Question Begging the Question: a type of informal fallacy in which an implicit premise would directly entail the conclusion; in other words, basing a conclusion on an assumption that is as much in need of proof or demonstration as the conclusion itself. Ex. Filthy and polluting coal should be banned.

Cardstacking Cardstacking: Manipulating information to make a product appear better than it is often by unfair comparison or omitting facts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z0Ia5jDt4

Plain Folks Plain Folks: attempt to convince the audience that a prominent person and his ideas are “of the people.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoGoeT41onM

Fear Fear: plays on deep-seated fears; warns the audience that disaster will result if they do not follow a particular course of action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y8YVqECqeE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKI4t5MFG1E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMIYVDuyX1Q

Logical Fallacies Fallacies are common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument. Fallacies can be either illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points, and are often identified because they lack evidence that supports their claim. Avoid these common fallacies in your own arguments and watch for them in the arguments of others.

Genetic Fallacy This conclusion is based on an argument that the origins of a person, idea, institute, or theory determine its character, nature, or worth. Ex. The Volkswagen Beetle is an evil car because it was originally designed by Hitler's army.

Slippery Slope Slippery Slope: This is a conclusion based on the premise that if A happens, then eventually through a series of small steps, through B, C,..., X, Y, Z will happen, too, basically equating A and Z. So, if we don't want Z to occur, A must not be allowed to occur either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIv3m2gMgUU

Hasty Generalization This is a conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence. In other words, you are rushing to a conclusion before you have all the relevant facts. Ex: Even though it's only the first day, I can tell this is going to be a boring course.

Either/Or Either/or: This is a conclusion that oversimplifies the argument by reducing it to only two sides or choices. Example: We can either stop using cars or destroy the earth.

Red Herring This is a diversionary tactic that avoids the key issues, often by avoiding opposing arguments rather than addressing them. Example: The level of mercury in seafood may be unsafe, but what will fishers do to support their families?

False Authority False Authority is a tactic used by many writers, especially in advertising. An authority in one field may know nothing of another field. Being knowledgeable in one area doesn’t constitute knowledge in other areas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPzKntJo-IY

Moral Equivalence This fallacy compares minor misdeeds with major atrocities. That parking attendant who gave me a ticket is as bad as Hitler.

Post Hoc Post hoc ergo propter hoc: This is a conclusion that assumes that if 'A' occurred after 'B' then 'B' must have caused 'A.’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRJUvFG8gbE

Circular Argument Circular Argument: This restates the argument rather than actually proving it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CVbku6nxhU

Ad Hominem Ad hominem: This is an attack on the character of a person rather than his or her opinions or arguments.

Straw Man Straw Man: This move oversimplifies an opponent's viewpoint and then attacks that hollow argument. People who don't support the proposed state minimum wage increase hate the poor.

Satire Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles. A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which stand for real people, to expose and condemn their corruption. Example: “If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.” -Stephen Colbert - The Colbert Report

Satire Cont. Satire and Irony- are interlinked. Irony is the difference between what is said or done and what is actually meant. Therefore, writers frequently employ satire to point at the dishonesty and silliness of individuals and society and criticize them by ridiculing them. Function of Satire The role of satire is to ridicule or criticize those vices in society, which the writer considers a threat to civilization. The writer considers it his obligation to expose these vices for the betterment of humanity. Therefore, the function of satire is not to make others laugh at persons or ideas they make fun of. It intends to warn the public and to change their opinions about the prevailing corruption/conditions in society.

Media Bias (US) A political bias in journalistic reporting, in programming selection, or otherwise in mass communications media. Fox News is often cited as an example of conservative media bias, yet its viewers claim it is CNN that is guilty of liberal media bias. https://www.studentnewsdaily.com/types-of-media-bias/ Review and take notes over the types of media bias.