In addition to the recognized forms of evidence, there are two common
nonrational appeals that can be persuasive. However, it is risky to use
these
methods exclusively.
Emotional Appeals: Persuaders who want to get their audience's
attention will
sometimes use an example that provokes an emotional response. For
example, when
making a point about education, a persuader who wants to use an
emotional
appeal is more likely to describe the advantages for children rather
than
administrators.
Reductio ad Absurdum: This is a Latin term that means reducing an
argument to
its absurd conclusion. For example, someone who wanted to make a point
against
equal rights might argue that we would soon be unable to assume
someone's
gender.
Logical Fallacies
In arguing and persuading there are rules, and the following logical
fallacies
are common examples of ways those rules are often broken.
Oversimplification: This is when a persuader jumps to a conclusion
without
considering nuance. For example, to simply state "poverty causes
crime," is an
oversimplification because while it is true that crime exists in
poverty
stricken areas that is not necessarily evidence of causality as many
people are
poverty stricken but not criminals.
False dichotomy: This is when a persuader presents only two choices
with one
being an obviously bad option, and offers no potential third way. For
example,
someone arguing against corporal punishment might say, "we can choose
between
time outs or child abuse." This is a false dichotomy, however, because
they
have not considered the parents who administer corporal punishment in
loving,
effective ways.
Ad Hominem Attack: This is when a persuader attacks the source of an
argument
rather than the content. For example, if in a debate about the
legalization of
marijuana one claimant accused the other claimant of beating his wife
he might
get a shocked response from the audience but he will also have
committed a
logical fallacy.