How to Coach Yourself and Others Beware of Manipulation | Page 66

Non Sequitur
The fallacy of offering reasons or conclusions that have no logical connection to the argument at hand
(e.g. “The reason I flunked your course is because the government is now putting out purple five-dollar
bills!”). (See also Red Herring.) Occasionally involves the breathtaking arrogance of claiming to know
why God is doing certain things. E.g., "Obviously, God sent the earthquake to punish those people for
their great wickedness."
Overgeneralization (also Hasty Generalization)
The stupid but common fallacy of incorrectly applying one or two examples to all cases (e.g. “Some
college student was tailgating me all the way up North Main Street last night. This proves that all
college students are lousy drivers, and we should pull their driver’s licenses until they either grow up,
learn to drive or graduate!”).
The Paralysis of Analysis (also, Procrastination)
A postmodern fallacy that, since all data is never in, no legitimate decision can ever be made and any
action should always be delayed until forced by circumstances. A corruption of the argument from
logos.
Playing on Emotions (also, the Sob Story)
The classic fallacy of pure argument from pathos, ignoring facts and calling on emotion alone. E.g., “If
you don’t agree witchcraft is a major problem, just stop for a moment and think of all those poor moms
crying bitter tears for their innocent tiny little children whose little beds and tricycles lie cold and
abandoned, all because of those wicked old witches! Let’s string’em all up!”
Political Correctness ("PC")
A contemporary fallacy that the nature of a thing or situation can be changed simply by changing its
name. E.g., "We can strike a blow against cruelty to animals by changing the name of ‘pets’ to ‘animal
companions.’" or "What's going on in Juárez is not a 'war,' it is a fight between drug cartels. That
means it's not that bad."
Post Hoc Argument
(also, "post hoc propter hoc" argument, or the "too much of a coincidence" argument): The classic
fallacy that because something comes at the same time or just after something else, the first thing is
caused by the second. E.g., "AIDS first emerged as a problem during the exact same time that Disco
music was becoming popular--that's too much of a coincidence: It proves that Disco causes AIDS!"
Reductionism
(also, Oversimplifying, Sloganeering): The fallacy of deceiving an audience by giving simple answers
or slogans in response to complex questions, especially when appealing to less educated or
unsophisticated audiences. E.g., "If the glove doesn’t fit, you must vote to acquit." Often involves
appeals to emotion (pathos). E.g., “Moms! If you want to protect your little kids from armed terrorists,
vote for Smith!”
Reifying
The fallacy of treating imaginary categories as actual, material "things." (E.g., "The biggest struggle in
youth culture today is between Goths and Emos.") Sometimes also referred to as "Essentializing" or
“Hypostatization.”
Sending the Wrong Message
A dangerous fallacy that attacks a given statement or action, no matter how true, correct or necessary,
because it will "send the wrong message." In effect, those who uses this fallacy are publicly confessing
to fraud and admitting that the truth will destroy the fragile web of illusion that has been created by
their lies. E.g., "Actually, we're losing the war, but if we admit it we'll be sending the wrong message
to our enemies."

65