Types of Reasoning - Lecture notes 9 PDF

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Types of Reasoning Persuasive Appeals 

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Classical o Ethos - credibility/character o Logos – logic/reason o Pathos – emotion o Mythos – sense of cultural identity, or history of a culture; pop culture Appeal to human needs and motivations Appeal to relevance/personal gain

Reasoning o Drawing inferences or conclusions from evidence o As a persuader, you must: o Make sure your reasoning is sound (and ethical) o Attempt to get listeners to agree with your reasoning Types of Arguments/Reasoning 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Argument by Deduction Argument by Induction Argument by Analogy Argument by Cause Argument by Authority

o Argument by Deduction o Constructs a series of general statements (premises) that together prove correct the claim/conclusion o Can either use the:  Syllogism  All men are mortal (major premise)  Socrates is a man (minor premise)  Therefore, Socrates is mortal (conclusion)  Enthymeme  All men are mortals (major premise)  Therefore, Socrates is mortal (conclusion) o The conclusion is a necessary consequence of the premises o Deductive reasoning must present a sound argument (must be valid and true) o Argument by Induction o Argues from a specific case to a general conclusion

o Suggests something as likely or probably based on specific cases o Example:  My history quiz was easy  I made an A on my history paper  I will probably make an A in my history class o Possible dangers!  Possibility of jumping to conclusions on basis of insufficient evidence (hasty generalization)  Use of unfair or bias o Argument by Analogy o Concludes that something will be accurate for one case if it is for another similar case o Often used in persuasive policy speeches o Example:  Prohibition of alcohol failed in the US  Similarly, prohibition of marijuana will eventually fail  Therefore, we should decriminalize marijuana use in the US o Possible Dangers!  Assumption of more similarities than differences  Failure to acknowledge limits of the analogy o Argument by Cause o Argues that one event, circumstance, or idea is the reason for another o Effect-to-Cause Example:  The increase in our public schools is the effect of increased violence in the media o Cause-to-Effect Example:  Procrastinating on your assignments will cause you to get lower grades o Possible Dangers!  False cause fallacy  Misinterpreting evidence  Assuming complex events have a single cause o Argument by Authority o Locates its power in the ethos of the testimony of others you might use to support your claim o Politicians/Celebrities in media o Possible Dangers!  Bias  Unfavorable opinion of authority by audience  Authority has no relevance to your claim...