Rhetoric (& penguins)

Rhetoric (& Penguins)

Nathan Loynes

Rhetoric is an ‘appeal’

Logos

Ethos

Pathos

Logos

Logos may be affected by logical fallacies

Slippery Slope

Argument is made through momentum;like falling down a slippery slope: “and then…? and then…? and then…? There! I told you so!”

How did he get here?!?

How did he get to here?!?

? ???

Hasty Generalisation

“I am theCause!”

“He was asleepanyway!”

Post hoc ergo prompter hoc (sequence equals causality)

Genetic Fallacy

What did you expect?He is from Belgium

Begging the claim

Circular Argument

Either/or

“It’s blackOr white”

“What about the grey, man?”

Ad hominem: attack on the person (penguin) i.e. insults

Ad Populum. Popular association appeal

Red Herring (what’s WITH these penguins…?)

Conclusion

• Rhetoric is employed through a range of stylistic techniques.

• Logical fallacies occur either accidentally, or purposively.

• Unspotted logical fallacies can convince us of an invalid argument, or distract us from the issue at hand.

[Source: Weida & Stolley, 2013]