Rhetorical Terms Related to Logic and Argument Flashcards
What is an argument in writing?
In writing, and argument is a claim/position/stance made by the author.
What are the three Aristotle’s appeals?
The three appeals are ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos: Establishing the credibility of the author. This appeal helps to support the argument and give it validity by showcasing that the author is experienced and someone worth listening too/worthy of respect
Pathos: Persuasion by appealing to the reader’s emotions.
Logos: Persuasion through the act of logical reasoning (generally considered the strongest form of persuasion)
What is deductive reasoning? How would an author use deductive reasoning?
Deductive reasoning is an argument in which it is thought that the premises provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion. In other words, deductive reasoning details how if the premises are true, it would be impossible for the given conclusion to be false.
Which of the following would be an example of deductive argument/reasoning?
A. Every house we have lived in has been built after 1980, so the next house we live in will likely have been built before 1980.
B. All the houses in my neighborhood were built after 1980, so the houses on the next street over will have been built after 1980.
B. –> In this situation, the claim being made revolves around a conclusion built from a factual statement/observations that the author makes out to be indefinitely true
What is inductive reasoning? What would be an example of inductive reasoning?
Inductive reasoning is an argument in which it is thought that the premises provide reasons supporting the probable truth of the conclusion; in this argument the author believes that if the premises are true, it is unlikely that the conclusion is false, and is usually based on patterns. An example of inductive reasoning would be saying that since most of the class is right handed, the person sitting next to you is most likely right handed.
What is a logical fallacy?
A logical fallacy is a faulty piece of reasoning that writers may intentionally or unintentionally incorporate to “strengthen” their argument
What is an ad hominem?
Ad hominem revolves around the author attacking the opponents’ character rather than the opponents’ argument to weaken the opposing position and making it seem unworthy of support
What is appeal to authority?
Appeal to authority is a logical fallacy that claims that because somebody famous supports an idea, the idea must be right.
What is appeal to the bandwagon? What is appeal to emotion?
Appeal to the bandwagon is a logical fallacy which uses the fact that a large amount of people are doing it to persuade the reader into joining their stance on the issue at hand.
Appeal to emotion is a appeal which replaces a logical argument with an appeal to the audience’s emotions/sympathy
What is a bad analogy?
A bad analogy is claiming that two situations are highly similar, when they aren’t
What is false cause?
False cause is assuming that because two things happened, the first one caused the second one.
What is a hasty generalization?
A generalization based on too little or unrepresentative data (stereotypes, prejudices)
What is a non sequitur?
Non sequitur is a conclusion that does not follow from its premises, rendering it an invalid argument.
What is slippery slope?
Slippery slope is an assumption that once started, a situation will continue to its most extreme possible outcome (scare tactic)
