Fallacies

Fallacies

1. Ad Hominem

   • Meaning
     • Two competing conceptions of fallacies are that they are false but popular beliefs and that they are deceptively bad arguments. These we may distinguish as the belief and argument conceptions of fallacies. Academic writers who have given the most attention to the subject of fallacies insist on, or at least prefer, the argument conception of fallacies, but the belief conception is prevalent in popular and non-scholarly discourse. As we shall see, there are yet other conceptions of what fallacies are, but the present inquiry focuses on the argument conception of fallacies.
       • Example:
         • That face cream can't be good. Kim Kardashian is selling it.
   • Appeal to Emotions
     • The emotional fallacy, also known as appealing to one's emotions, is the manipulation of emotions without any regards to the acceptable argument. People often use this fallacy in order to get what they want without any regard strictly based upon the facts. Rather it is firmly based on emotions.
       • Example:
         • “I'm sorry officer, my family is very poor and I haven't eaten in days.
   • This fallacy occurs when, instead of addressing someone's argument or position, you irrelevantly attack the person or some aspect of the person who is making the argument. The fallacious attack can also be direct to membership in a group or institution.
     • Example:
       • Student: Hey, Professor Moore, we shouldn't have to read this book by Freud. Everyone knows he used cocaine.