COMM 1117 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Ad Hominem, Westboro Baptist Church, Tu Quoque
2 May 2018
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Fallacies
Fallacy claim: is a claim that an argument must be rejected because it violates a significant rule of
argumentation relevant to the appropriate decision-makers
A1. There is not enough of the right kind of support to prove the claim
A2. The real claim is being hidden and disguised by some other claim
Types of Fallacies
Begging the question- when an answer or definition seems plausible but on closer examination assumes
as fact that which is not proved [RSP 177-178]
• In this waterfall painting by M.C. Escher, water seems to flow upward. You assume your
pereptio of the paitig is aurate, ut o loser eaiatio ou disoer it is’t.
o Examining the painting accurately but you realize if it is 3-D this would not be the case
EX) Krajicek argues that reforming prison sentences for non- violent first-time offenders begs the
question of whether they, or prisoner with life sentences, are the most important part of the problem of mass
incarceration
Responding to a charge with a countercharge (tu quoque) -a person uses a counterclaim rather than
responding to an opposing claim [RSP 177]
• Responding to a charge with a countercharge
EX) The Encyclopedia of Race and Racism noted in 2014 that black activists who claim that there is racism in the
criminal justice system are not answered with statistical counter- evidence but rather are accused by their
oppoets of plaig the rae ard.
False appeals to authority - authority is invoked as the last word on a controversial topic [RSP 178]
• Assuming a claim is a fact because someone with high credibility says it is
EX) This ad implies that we should make reservations at Whyndham Hotels because a celebrity is in the ad there
Appeal to popularity - attempt to justify a claim on the basis of its supposed popularity [RSP 178]
• Attempt to justify a claim on the basis of its supposed popularity
EX) Peauts oi harater “hroeder does’t approe of a sog that is adertised as uer oe i the atio
EX) Hillar Clito laeled soe kids as superpredators to help her husad ake his tough o rie popular
appeal during his reelection campaign.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Fallacy claim: is a claim that an argument must be rejected because it violates a significant rule of argumentation relevant to the appropriate decision-makers. There is not enough of the right kind of support to prove the claim. The real claim is being hidden and disguised by some other claim. Begging the question- when an answer or definition seems plausible but on closer examination assumes as fact that which is not proved [rsp 177-178] You assume your per(cid:272)eptio(cid:374) of the pai(cid:374)ti(cid:374)g is a(cid:272)(cid:272)urate, (cid:271)ut o(cid:374) (cid:272)loser e(cid:454)a(cid:373)i(cid:374)atio(cid:374) (cid:455)ou dis(cid:272)o(cid:448)er it is(cid:374)"t: examining the painting accurately but you realize if it is 3-d this would not be the case. Ex) krajicek argues that reforming prison sentences for non- violent first-time offenders begs the question of whether they, or prisoner with life sentences, are the most important part of the problem of mass incarceration.
