Logic: Logical Fallacies (4)

1. Appeal to Fear: Where someone moves you to fear the consequences of not doing what he wants.

• Prosecuting Attorney: “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I urge you to convict John Jones of this crime of murder. We need to put him where he can never commit any crimes. If you don’t convict him, you may be his next victim.”

2. Appeal to Pity: Where someone urges us to do something only because we pity him, or we pity something associated with him.

• Radio advertisement: “Mr Jones lost the last election because his opponent used a smear campaign to discredit him. Mr Jones lost the election before that because of voter fraud. Don’t you think it is about time you voted for Mr Jones?”
• Motorist: “But officer, this is the fifth ticket I’ve been given this year. If I get another ticket, then they will take my license away, and I won’t be able to drive to work. My wife and children will starve.”

3. Bandwagon: Where someone pressures us to do something just because many other people like us are doing it. 

• “More Americans get their news from ABC than from any other source.”

4. Exigency: Where someone offers nothing more than a time limit as a reason for us to do what he wants.

• Genuine imitation lether Chairs! Now 95% off! Hurry, while supplies last!
• Mr: “Come on, why don’t you marry me today?” Miss: “Oh, I can’t make up my mind. I only met you this morning. Don’t you think it is a little early.” Mr: “I’m leaving tonight and won’t be back for several years. If you don’t marry me now, we may never have another chance.”

5. Repetition: Where a message is repeated loudly and very often in the hope that it will eventually be believed.

• “Eat Sugarloops for breakfast! Eat Sugarloops for lunch! Eat Sugarloops for supper! Eat Sugarloops all the time! You will love Sugarloops.

6. Transfer: Where an advertiser gets us to associate our good or bad feelings about one thing, to another unrelated thing.

• In a commercial, a handsome man with big bulging muscles is seen working out on the new “Gutwrencher” exercise machine. The announcer says, “Tone up your muscles in two weeks!”
• In a commercial, Gara Gorgeous, the famous movie star with beautiful hair, holds up a bottle of shampoo and says. “Use Shimmer Bounce shampoo for better looking and better smelling hair.”
• “Pure fresh Mountain Spring Water”

7. Snob Appeal: Where someone encourages us to think his product would make us better, or stand out, from everybody else.

• Advertisement: “Why read those boring logic books like everybody else does? You know you’re better than that. You need more intellectual stimulation. Read The Fallacy Detective. Be more logical than the rest.”
• Buy skunk brand perfume. You will stand out in the crowd.

8. Appeal to Tradition/nostalgia: Where we are encouraged to buy a product or do something because it is associated with something old.

• A black and white photograph of man building a guitar. The caption reads: “Play Martin Guitars. Our expert guitar craftsmen build guitars using only the most time honored traditions.”
• A black and white photograph of an old 1920’s coupe on one page, and on the next a picture of a smart modern looking coupe whizzing down the road. Caption reads: “Ford Thunderbird: yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

9. Appeal to Hi-tech: Where someone urges us to buy something because it is the “latest thing” – but not necessarily because it is the best thing.

• Clyde: “Hey Bert, you need to buy one of these new Niko shoes. They have hi-tech “Dinotraction.” It’s a new special feature that helps you cling onto the back of a running plesiosaur without falling off.”

Propaganda