The Writer's Pulse

The straw man is my favorite logical fallacy: while it may be fun to toss around glittering generalities or take a ride on the slippery slopes, there's something genuinely impressive about a successful straw man. It is a very prevalent -- indeed, common...

[caption id="attachment_1258" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Image: Jason-Morrison"][/caption] Amazing! Fantastic! Freedom! Democracy! Power! Glittering generalities are a form of propaganda that elicit strong emotional responses...

Ad hominem is one of the most frequently used forms of propaganda. In Latin, it means "to the man," and occurs when a person overlooks the substance of an argument and instead attacks its source. Here's an example: "I think it's best to decrease the...

Here's an anecdote: "Hey," said Jimmy, "I don't want to go to school today. Everyone's skipping class!" "And if everyone jumped off a bridge, you'd jump too, right?" said his mother, "Right?!" The bandwagon appeal is put to use when you want your...