Charismatic Persuasion

More people need to study Logic. Why? It seems very few people are aware of logical fallacies and lack the critical thinking skills necessary to know whether an argument is strong or nonsensical. The very basis of reason and discernment is logic. If you don’t know how to spot a lie, you’re in trouble.

Charismatic people take advantage of this every day. They themselves may not even be aware that their arguments are nonsense, yet they stand behind them with vigor, confidence, and an air of entitled authority. I’m not even talking about research skills here. I’m just reminding you the reader that logical fallacies are nothing new and you should recognize them when you hear them. The more you study them and look for them in the world, the less likely you will become someone’s fool.

Here is your starter list, but please look into logical fallacies and arm yourself:

• Ad hominem: This fallacy attacks the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself. For example, saying “That person is wrong because they’re a Democrat” is an ad hominem fallacy.
• Appeal to authority: This fallacy relies on the authority of an expert to support an argument, even if the expert is not actually an expert on the topic at hand. For example, saying “That must be true because Bill Nye said so” is an appeal to authority fallacy.
• Appeal to emotion: This fallacy tries to persuade the reader or listener by appealing to their emotions, rather than by providing logical evidence. For example, saying “This product is the best because it will make you feel beautiful” is an appeal to emotion fallacy.
• Bandwagon: This fallacy assumes that something is true or good because it is popular. For example, saying “Everyone is buying this new phone, so it must be the best one” is a bandwagon fallacy.
• Begging the question: This fallacy assumes the conclusion in the premise. For example, saying “The Bible is true because it is the word of God” is a begging the question fallacy.
• Cherry picking: This fallacy only considers evidence that supports a particular conclusion, while ignoring evidence that contradicts it. For example, saying “Vaccines cause autism” because a few studies have found a correlation between the two, while ignoring the dozens of studies that have found no such correlation, is a cherry picking fallacy.
• False dilemma: This fallacy presents only two options, when there are actually more. For example, saying “Either you’re with us or you’re against us” is a false dilemma fallacy.
• Hasty generalization: This fallacy makes a broad conclusion based on too little evidence. For example, saying “All politicians are corrupt” after hearing about a few corrupt politicians is a hasty generalization fallacy.
• Moving the goalposts: This fallacy changes the criteria for what counts as evidence after the evidence has been presented. For example, saying “That’s not a real study” after a study that contradicts your point of view is published is a moving the goalposts fallacy.
• Non sequitur: This fallacy concludes something that does not follow from the premises. For example, saying “If you don’t vote for me, you hate America” is a non sequitur fallacy.
• Post hoc ergo propter hoc: This fallacy assumes that because one event happened after another, the first event caused the second. For example, saying “I started taking vitamins and now I’m never sick” is a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy.
• Straw man: This fallacy distorts an opponent’s argument in order to make it easier to attack. For example, saying “My opponent wants to abolish the police” when they actually just want to reform the police is a straw man fallacy.
• Appeal to tradition: This fallacy assumes that something is good or right simply because it has been done that way in the past. For example, saying “We should still use coal for energy because we’ve always used it” is an appeal to tradition fallacy.
• Ad populum: This fallacy argues that something is true because it is popular. For example, saying “Everyone believes in God, so God must exist” is an ad populum fallacy.
• Anecdotal evidence: This fallacy relies on personal experience, rather than on evidence from a larger sample. For example, saying “I took this new drug and I feel great, so it must work” is an anecdotal evidence fallacy.
• Appeal to pity: This fallacy tries to persuade the reader or listener by appealing to their sympathy, rather than by providing logical evidence. For example, saying “I need this money to help my sick child, so please donate” is an appeal to pity fallacy.
• Black or white thinking: This fallacy assumes that there are only two possible options, when there are actually more. For example, saying “Either you’re with us or you’re against us” is an example of black or white thinking.
• Causal oversimplification: This fallacy assumes that one event caused another, when there may be other factors involved. For example, saying “That car accident happened because he was texting and driving” is an example of causal oversimplification.
• False analogy: This fallacy compares two things that are not actually similar. For example, saying “The government is like a big corporation” is an example of a false analogy.
• Genetic fallacy: This fallacy judges something based on its origins, rather than on its merits. For example, saying “That idea is bad because it came from a communist” is an example of a genetic fallacy.
• Hasty generalization from a single cause: This fallacy assumes that because one event happened after another, the first event caused the second. For example, saying “I got sick after eating that food, so that food must have made me sick” is an example of hasty generalization from a single cause.
• Loaded question: This fallacy asks a question that assumes the answer. For example, “Why do you still support that lying politician?” is an example of a loaded question.
• Slippery slope: This fallacy argues that if one thing happens, it will lead to a series of other events that will eventually lead to a bad outcome. For example, saying “If we legalize marijuana, it will lead to the legalization of all drugs” is an example of a slippery slope fallacy.