How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Use Fallacies

Techniques > General persuasion > Being Right > Use Fallacies

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

There are many fallacies that can be used in arguments. The reason they have been named and described is because they have been regularly used. And the reason they have been used is that they work surprisingly often. So just pick what you like, try them out and adopt those that work best for you.

Example

Hah, that's daft [appeal to ridicule]. You must be stupid [ad hominem].

I heard that Jeff doesn't agree [red herring] and you know where that will lead [slippery slope].

Discussion

Fallacies use illogical statements and ways of framing arguments that often seem right but are actually wrong. This is the essence of using fallacies: that seeming right is enough. You do not have to be right -- all you need is to be plausible, and this is as much to do with how you speak and present yourself as the actual words used.

Many other people are not knowledgeable enough about rational argument and are easily persuaded by false arguments that appeal more to emotion than to logic. This is a fact often utilized by politicians and advertisers.

See also

Fallacies