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Analyzing Methods of Development activity 2
Using an argument of your choice from this textbook or one you find on your own, dis-
cuss a method of development that the writer uses. How does this organizational pat-
tern, whether for an individual paragraph or a larger part of the essay, guide the reader
through the writer’s reasoning? How does it connect to evidence?

Logical Fallacies

Now that you have an understanding of claims, evidence, and reasoning, let’s take a
look at what happens when those elements have weak points, or when they are used to
deceive instead of persuade. Let’s talk about logical fallacies — that is, vulnerabilities in Section 1 / Logical Reasoning and Organization: Shaping an Argument
an argument caused by faulty reasoning or incorrect use of evidence. The logical break-
down in most weak arguments occurs in how the reasoning connects the claim to the
evidence. So a more practical definition of a fallacy might be a failure
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to make a logical connection between the claim and the evidence AP TIP
used to support that claim. Asking “Why?” can cut to
Regardless of whether they are intentional or unintentional, logi- the heart of a logical fallacy.
cal fallacies work against the clear, civil discourse that should be at By posing the question, you
may expose the faulty
the heart of argument. By checking for logical fallacies in a published assumptions or logic behind
argument that you’re analyzing, you can identify weak points; by a claim that, on its surface,
checking for fallacies in your own writing, you can revise to might appear sound.
strengthen your argument.
As you learn about logical fallacies, it’s important to understand their limits. Being
able to describe what you notice about an argument is more important than being able
to use a label, and explaining in a civil way why an argument is flawed is more effective
than simply labeling it as containing a certain fallacy and walking away. Naming a
problem is not the same thing as solving it. Pointing out these types of fallacies won’t
automatically win an argument. It may help to think of your ability to identify them as a
tool you have at your disposal to help you take an argument apart and reveal how it
works (or doesn’t work) — fallacies illuminate the weak points in logic. You still have to do
the work of explaining why those weak spots matter in a way your audience will
understand and accept.

Red Herrings and Ad Hominem Fallacies
Fallacies that result from using evidence that’s irrelevant to the claim fall under the gen-
eral heading of red herrings. (The term derives from the dried fish that trainers used to
distract dogs when teaching them to hunt foxes.) A red herring occurs when a speaker
skips to a new and irrelevant topic in order to avoid the topic of discussion. If Politician X
says, “We can debate these regulations until the cows come home, but what the
American people want to know is, when are we going to end this partisan bickering?”

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