Keep it logical – writers, avoid fallacies.
We are surrounded by logic fallacies! Politics drowns it them. Cable news floods us with them. X posts lead with them. And don’t even go there with Facebook rants.
This generation needs writers with a Christian world-view who can convince readers of truthfulness and compel them to action (I have written about this before!) Our writing should persuade. One of the biggest hindrances to writing with a compelling argument is the logic fallacy. If we don’t have all the facts, haven’t thought deeply on these, and edited our words so they are convincing, we can often fall back on a lazy fallacy to try to strengthen our argument. Readers can see through this quickly and then toss rest of your argument is in the wastebin.
The following is a list of the fallacies we can easily fall into when we seek to persuade others. Please avoid these when you want to write with persuasion.
Ad Hominem. This fallacy uses distraction to attempt to win an argument. This “to-the-man” fallacy tries to sway the reader by attacking or drawing attention to a person instead of the opposing argument itself. (The ad hominem demands: “This can’t be true because of who said it!”)
Ad Populum, (“to the people”) or Ad Verecundiam. (“to the authorities”): These two fallacies are similar and appeal to some nebulous group of people or some anonymous group of authorities to give substance to the argument. The “mass of people” is imaginary and the “committee of authorities” is never named. The writer appeals to the emotions and to the support of false authorities (One says “you should believe this because everybody else does;” the other says “you can trust this because the experts agree with it.”)
Bandwagon Appeal. This fallacy is another name for Ad Populum. “Jump on the ‘bandwagon’ and agree with me, since everybody else does!”
Card Stacking or Cherry Picking. This fallacy is common, especially when one desperately wants to convince the reader, but knows there are other logical sides to the argument or issue. The writer stacks evidence or reasons, or picks just the items of evidence that support him. Ignoring the valid evidence that contradicts the argument, the fallacy assumes the reader will just see the “cherry picked” or “stacked” evidence on one side that supports the desired conclusion at the neglect of other very compelling evidence for other sides.
False Dilemma. This fallacy is also called the Either-Or or the All-or-nothing Fallacy. Most arguments are more complicated and have more than two sides. Readers (and writers) can see that issues have more than a choice of two solutions. This argument often comes out of a dogmatic approach to issues and declares, “either you agree with me or you’re an idiot.”
Faulty Analogy. This fallacy is used when the writer draws a comparison beyond the extent of reason. It may seem a fair analogy, even though it relates only slightly or not at all, and find little evidence to support the comparison.
Hasty or Over-Generalization. This fallacy tries to build an argument on minimal evidence or tries to stretch the conclusion beyond what the facts can support. The writer does this when he or she hasn’t researched enough or is trying to prove a “pre-conceived result” that carries little proof.
Hypostatization or Fallacies of Ambiguity. This fallacy is popular because it takes an idea or word with a specific meaning, but assigns it a sinister, abstract meaning. That meaning can really a “hyper-emotional” support. The idea is then given concrete meaning that isn’t rooted in reality, often supported through the use of an “appeal to experts”.
Non Sequitor. This fallacy is the result of trying to prove something by using unrelated facts. The result doesn’t follow the evidence. Again, it’s the result of trying to convince someone of a preconception without good evidence. (A Biblical parallel might be “eisegesis” or reading into passage truths or results that aren’t really there.)
Oversimplification. This fallacy is like the Over-Generalization Fallacy and makes an issue far simpler than it really is. The writer ignores the possible complexity in order to neatly wrap up a fallacious solution. If the solution to a problem or question begins with “it’s as simple as…” be wary of the argument.
Red Herring: This is a “sleight of hand” use of words. The writer may have a weak argument in development, see it is losing support, and quickly introduce another topic or problem. The new topic may or may not be related, but seeks to divert the reader’s attention and leaving the person to assume the initial argument is completed. The persuader says “look over here, at this red herring!”)
Slippery Slope: This fallacy is one everyone has heard of – the writer doesn’t like a solution since it doesn’t support his or her position, and assumes that other really bad things will naturally follow if the solution is accepted. The bad things that the Slippery Slope imagines will follow are genuinely bad, but won’t logically follow.
Straw Man: This fallacy develops as a response to an argued point when the writer takes one aspect of the point, usually the weakest or least significant one, and rails against it. One tries to solve the issue by choosing one out of many elements and declares the issue won even though only one small point is addressed. The persuader sees the whole argument, but chooses the weakest point and declared all the rest of the argument just as weak.
To Beg the Question: This fallacy develops tries to argue for a solution to a problem or prove a truth that he or she has not yet built a case for. The problem is assumed, but not proven to be real; yet the writer argues for a solution, even if it isn’t a real problem in the first place.
(These are some of the common fallacies that can creep into our logic and persuasion. You can research each and find examples, further descriptions, and additional ways to avoid each.)
Professor Harrell