The Art and Craft of Persuasion Based upon

The Art and Craft of Persuasion Based upon: Moser, Joyce, and Ann Watters, ed. Creating America: Reading and Writing Arguments, 3 rd Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002.

Types of Appeals n Ethos n Based upon shared values and beliefs n Ex. FDR, Pearl Harbor, and “fair play” n Pathos n Manipulates audience emotions n Empathy n Logos n Logic and reason n Induction and Deduction

Inductive Reasoning n Generalize truth from number of observations n MLK: “boy, ” motel, playground n Faults n Inadequate evidence n Faulty conclusion n “leap of faith”

Deductive Reasoning n Begins with general principle and makes assertion based upon it n Syllogism n Enthymeme

Syllogism n Major Premise + Minor Premise = Conclusion n Major Premise: All men are mortal n Minor Premise: Socrates is a man n Conclusion: Socrates is mortal

Enthymeme n Assumes common knowledge n Compresses syllogism n “Socrates, being a man, is mortal. ”

Errors in Logic n Hasty Generalization n Conclusion based upon too few example n Two senators are millionaires, therefore all public officials are rich. n Biased Sampling n Examples drawn from a pool guaranteed to produce a certain conclusion

Errors in Logic continued n Straw Man n False Target n Misstates opponents views n False Analogy n Suggests that two people/events are identical rather than similar n Attacks the analogy rather than the issue

Errors in Logic continued n Ad Hominem n Attacks against individual holding the position rather than the position itself n “If I am young and right, what does age matter. ” –Sophocles Antigone n Post hoc ergo propter hoc n “After this, therefore because of this” n Correlation equals causation

Errors in Logic continued n False Dilemma n Either-or situation n Boils down to only two choices n Slippery Slope n First step inevitably leads to disaster n Begging the question n Assuming something as a given that hasn’t been proven

Errors in Logic continued n Non Sequitor n Placing two things next to each other to imply connection without providing any logical backing