3 Appeals of Persuasion

Good sources for independent help

• http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~uwc/Writing%20Resources/Handouts/appeals.htm

• https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/04/

Appeals to Authority

• Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal, means convincing by the character of the author. We tend to believe people whom we respect.

Appeals to Emotion

• Pathos (Emotional) means persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions.

• Language choice affects the audience's emotional response, and emotional appeal can effectively be used to enhance an argument.

Appeals to Logic

• Logos (Logical) means persuading by the use of reasoning.

• Giving reasons is the heart of argumentation, and cannot be emphasized enough.

3 Appeals… Authority

Appeals to Authority come in many forms…

• Popularity or Celebrity endorsement

• Ted Nugent’s support of political discussions

Expert support

• People that have experience offering their advice.

Popular support

•Using quantity of support rather than quality

3 Appeals… Emotion

Fear

Guilt

Self esteem

Peer pressure

3 Appeals- Logic

There are 2 ways to look at logic

• Deductive-Deductive reasoning begins with a generalization and then applies it to a specific case.

• Inductive- Inductive reasoning takes facts and then draws generalizations or conclusions from them.

Deductive

• The sun has always come up in the morning…

• So the sun will come up tomorrow. (No

Annie songs please)

Inductive

Sherlock back up

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElH3aVXLZoo&feature=related

Logic is tricky

• There are what is known as fallacies.

• Fallacies are arguments that appear logical but actually aren’t.

Slippery slope• This is a conclusion based on the premise that if A

happens, then eventually through a series of small steps A will equal B, C, … Z.

• Example: If we ban Hummers because they are bad for the environment eventually the government will ban all cars, so we should not ban Hummers.

• In this example the author is equating banning Hummers with banning all cars, which is not the same thing

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

• This is a conclusion that assumes that if 'A' occurred after 'B' then 'B' must have caused 'A.‘

• Example: I drank bottled water and now I am sick, so the water must have made me sick.

• In this example the author assumes that if one event chronologically follows another the first event must have caused the second.

Circular Argument

• This restates the argument rather than actually proving it.

• Example: Todd is a good communicator because he speaks effectively.

• In this example the conclusion that Todd is a "good communicator" and the evidence used to prove it "he speaks effectively" are basically the same idea.

And my favorite… (politicians use it all the time)

Ad hominem• This is an attack on the character of a person rather than

their opinions or arguments.

• Example: Green Peace's strategies aren't effective because they are all dirty, lazy hippies.

• In this example the author doesn't even name particular strategies Green Peace has suggested, much less evaluate those strategies on their merits. Instead, the author attacks the characters of the individuals in the group.

As you construct your arguments…

• Be careful to avoid and detect logical fallacies!