The document discusses the concepts of rhetoric and fallacies of relevance. It defines rhetoric as the art of persuasive speaking or writing, and identifies three rhetorical appeals - ethos, logos and pathos. It then provides examples to illustrate different types of fallacies of relevance, including appeal to authority, fear, ignorance, personal attack and pity. Key details about each fallacy are given for several statements.

1. HUM 180: Ethical and Critical Thinking Westwood College Prof. Wylie Tidwell, III

2. The Art of Rhetoric “ the art of speaking or writing effectively” According to Aristotle, rhetoric is "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion." Describes three types: Ethos Logos Pathos

3. The Art of Rhetoric Ethos appeal based on the character of the speaker. An ethos-driven document relies on the reputation of the author

4. The Art of Rhetoric Logos is appeal based on logic or reason. Documents distributed by companies or corporations are logos-driven. Scholarly documents are also often logos-driven.

5. The Art of Rhetoric Pathos is appeal based on emotion. Advertisements tend to be pathos-driven.

6. The Art of Rhetoric appeals can be achieved through Visual Information Structure Color Graphic Images

7. The Art of Rhetoric Visual Information Structure this includes how the text looks on the screen. This is achieved through the appearance of such things as the titles and the headings.

8. The Art of Rhetoric Color this includes the color of the text, the background, and the graphics. The contrast of the colors of each of these items is also important.

9. The Art of Rhetoric Graphic Images this includes the other information in the document aside from the text. This is achieved through such things as icons, buttons, and photos.

10. READING QUIZ 11.3: FALLACIES OF RELEVANCE The following are the fallacies of relevance: appeal to authority, appeal to pity, appeal to fear, appeal to ignorance, and appeal to personal attack. For each of the following statements, identify the fallacy and briefly explain why the reasoning is faulty.

11. The president of Iraq says that the United States and Great Britain should remove their troops from Saudi Arabia because he is moving American and British women and children to the potential attack sites. Answer Appeal to fear

12. Britney Spears says that Diet Pepsi tastes better than Diet Coke. Answer Appeal to authority

13. A candidate for governor says that voters should not elect her opponent because he will not say whether he ever took illegal drugs. Answer Appeal to personal attack

14. Ghosts do not exist. No one has ever proved scientifically that they do exist. Answer Appeal to ignorance

15. Smile Toothpaste is used by more Americans than any other toothpaste. Answer Appeal to authority

16. A magazine advertisement for a charity asks readers to sponsor or help a child in a foreign country. The appeal for money is accompanied by a picture of a sad child with a thin face and big, dark eyes. Answer Appeal to pity

17. “ I tried to get my paper done on time, but my aunt, who is ninety-seven years old, was in intensive care.” Answer Appeal to pity

18. “ Of course you should support the candidate of your choice in the coming election. You should remember, however, that the president of this firm—the guy who signs your paychecks—is the campaign manager of the opposing candidate.” Answer Appeal to fear

19. “ With me, abortion is not a problem of religion. It’s a problem of the Constitution. I believe that until and unless someone can establish that the unborn child is not a living human being, then that child is already protected by the Constitution, which guarantees life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all of us.” Ronald Reagan, October 8, 1984 Answer Appeal to ignorance

20. Of course you support affirmative action. You ’re African American. Answer Appeal to personal attack