College Composition

College Composition Study Guide

©2020 Page 41 of 56 probable or possible causal links as certain and or inevitable, while preying on the fears of a worst- case scenario. Slippery slopes and faulty analogies lead to fallacious arguments. Straw man fallacy occurs when a writer weakens the opposing position of an argument by misrepresenting it or by attacking the weaker (straw man) position. A writer may attempt to misrepresent an opponent’s position or argue in such a way to make the opponent’s position appear ridiculous. Ad populum (appeal to popular beliefs) may also be called the “bandwagon appeal” and occurs when a writer urges a reader to accept something simply because others do. Being aware that other people support an idea or policy is one piece of information that someone may want to take into account, but it should not be used to persuade another individual’s opinion. Non-sequitur is a fallacy that means “it does not follow” and occurs when a conclusion does not follow logically from arguments and the evidence that precedes it. Logical fallacies are more specific types of non-sequiturs. When a problem with an argument has evidence that is not relevant to the claim, the writer has committed a non-sequitur. Basically, when evidence does not follow the argument, or is important to a different topic, non-sequitur has occurred. A writer can avoid committing this fallacy by compiling a comprehensive outline to ensure logical organization and flow. Ad verecundiam (appeal to tradition) is typically heard in contexts when ideas or policies that hold a long history are being challenged and may be expressed as, “We’ve never done it that way before,” or “This is the way we’ve always done it.” Tradition can be a good thing, but it is unreasonable to use it as a shield against compelling arguments for changes. Change involves risk, while advocates of change have to meet the burden of proof. A writer has to provide sufficient proof and evidence in order to convince a reader that change is warranted, otherwise the reader may subscribe to ad verecundiam. Red herring fallacy is an attempt to throw a reader off track by raising an irrelevant, often emotional issue, that prevents critical examination of the relevant issue. Essentially, this fallacy diverts the attention of a reader from the real issue. For example, the debate of prayer in schools may not be due to religious beliefs, but more out of concern for the separation of church and state. Writers should avoid these fallacies at all possible costs in order to create a stronger argument that resonates with readers. 5.5 Writing Arguments After selecting a topic, the next step in the writing process is to brainstormways to address that topic. Brainstorming is meant to produce a list of possible ideas or directions to take with a topic. Writers jot down a succession of words to jog their memories. The list is written in no particular order. Afterwards there should be several different ideas associated with the topic that could be pursued in an essay. Achieve