Defining Fallacy: Book’s Explanation and a Personal Example
It is common for people to purposefully or accidentally provide arguments with poor logic. According to Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz (2022), “arguments that are flawed by their very nature or structure” are known as fallacies (p. 74). For example, I once told my friend I wanted to go to our destination by bus merely because it was cheaper. However, she took offense at this proposal and emotionally exclaimed that I did not feel safe when she was driving. This is how I faced the straw man fallacy attack.
Types of Fallacies in Pathos: Definitions and Persuasive Ad Concepts
Concerning fallacies of emotional argument, one may refer to a slippery slope – the argumentation that a tiny step today leads to a catastrophe tomorrow. DirecTV is known to use this fallacy in their advertising; in one funny video I watched on YouTube, the company says that having cable will make one’s dad hurt. Another example of a fallacy in pathos is a bandwagon appeal, causing one to follow the others (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz, 2022). I like Michael Jackson, and there is an ad with him and other people drinking Pepsi, making the audience choose this drink as well.
Types of Fallacies in Ethos: Definitions and Persuasive Ad Concepts
Further, an appeal to false authority is often used in ethos. In many toothpaste advertisements, a fake dentist is shown to indicate that this specific brand is the best for one’s teeth, but this authority is wrongful. Ad hominem arguments can be used to attack one’s personality or character when there is no substantial information to destroy their credibility in another way. If I used this fallacy in political debates, I would mention that my opponent hates dogs, which is why they are inappropriate to run the project or win the election.
Types of Fallacies in Logos: Definitions and Persuasive Ad Concepts
One fallacy of the logical argument is a hasty generalization, which is statements not backed up by substantial information. Thus, Honey Nut Cheerios’s cereal advertisement I saw on their website stated that this product was America’s favorite but never provided any survey results. Another fallacy of logos is faulty causality, a wrongful “assumption that because one event or action follows another, the first causes the second” (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz, 2022, p. 83). In their marketing moves that I frequently meet online, the Axe brand states that their deodorants are the reason why males attract females.
Reference
Lunsford, A. A., & Ruszkiewicz, J. J. (2022). Everything’s an argument. Macmillan Learning.