Propaganda and Logical Fallacies

1. Propaganda and Logical Fallacies

2. Propaganda • Definition: • Information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. • Propaganda uses logical fallacies to make people believe whatever they want.

3. Denotation of Logical Fallacy From www.dictionary.com: Noun: 1. a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc. 2. a misleading or unsound argument. 3. Logic: any of various types of erroneous reasoning that render arguments logically unsound.

4. Connotation of Logical Fallacy • A fallacy is a kind of error in reasoning. • Generally used to mislead people intentionally.

5. History of fallacies… • The first known systematic study of fallacies was due to Aristotle, who listed thirteen types. • After the Dark Ages, fallacies were again studied in Medieval Europe. This is why so many fallacies have Latin names. • The third major period of study of the fallacies began in the later twentieth century due to renewed interest from the disciplines of philosophy, logic, communication studies, rhetoric, psychology, and artificial intelligence.

6. Look at the handout you have… • Some familiar techniques you have probably already seen • Ad hominem argument • Appeal to authority • Appeal to ignorance • Appeal to popularity • Card stacking • Hasty generalization