An appeal to flattery is a fallacious argument that uses compliments (flattery) to win over the audience. A red herring variant that disregards proof and shifts the argument with irrelevant statements. This fallacy doesn’t occur when someone states something to be true or trying to prove something. It occurs when the speaker wants to convince…
Category: Informal Fallacies
Informal fallacies are unsound arguments based on the fact that at least one of its premises is unsound. Informal fallacies may or may not use a valid logical form.
Appeal To False Authority
When we reach a point in an argument where we have no expertise, we call upon an authority. If that authority isn’t really an authority, the argument becomes fallacious. This fallacy is called appeal to authority or argumentum ad verecundiam. What does “authority that isn’t really an authority mean? Well, look at it this way….
Chronological Snobbery
As a form of appeal to novelty, chronological snobbery considers modern ideas superior to those from earlier ages. This fallacy specifically targets ideas from art, culture, science, philosophy. Example 1: “Traditional art is nothing compared to modern art. The techniques and rules of the past are forgotten, that’s why modern art is superior.” The speaker…
Weak Analogy Fallacy
A weak analogy fallacy is a part of informal logic. The fallacy can be found in the content of the argument. As the name suggests, it occurs when comparing two similar things. More so, when drawing a conclusion from a comparison of objects that share a similarity. The logical form of a weak analogy fallacy…