Identifying Fallacies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Identifying Fallacies - Essay Example In this regard, a rosy picture of Iraq is painted so as to hide the fact that armed battle was going on in that country. The use of the words "brutal, calculating and instructive" already suggests prejudice. These biased terms are used so as to justify to the American public and persuade people to positively perceive the Administration's decision to wage a war on Iraq. One of the programming companies, which develops anti-virus for computers, came up with an internet advertisement that shows all the files in your computer being deleted when one clicks an "OK" button on a pop-up screen. "We've also seen images of a young American facing decapitation. This vile display shows a contempt for all rules of warfare." - President George W. Bush (Remarks by the President on Iraq and War on Terror, 2004) In his speech, President Bush painted images of an American being decapitated. In this regard, he rouses the public to feel pity for the young American and at the same time provokes anger so that the people will feel the urge to fight back. An example is given by Freeman (1987) in The Courier-Journal wherein Barry Schweid of the Associated Press generated a report from a group from Stanford University that claimed to find diminutive proof of cheating by the Soviet Union on arms control-treaties. This appeals to false authority, which in this case is the group from Stanford University, a highly prominent organization. The credibility of the reports and validity of claims are established only because its was produced by a team from an Ivy League school 2.4. Appeal to Bandwagon "Why should you feel guilty for seeking your own happiness when that's what everyone else is doing" - Harry Browne (The Unselfish Trap) This statement is clearly an appeal to bandwagon because it justifies the correctness of an action to the perception that "everyone" is doing the same. 2.5. Appeal to Prejudice "These elements of Saddam's repressive regime and secret police have reorganized, rearmed and adopted sophisticated terrorist tactics. They've linked up with foreign fighters and terrorists" - President George W. Bush (Remarks by the President on Iraq and War on Terror, 2004) This statement aims to discredit Saddam's group by bringing up its linkage to foreign fighters and terrorists. The problem is no sufficient evidence is presented to support the soundness of the claim. Note that the primary reason of US invasion of Iraq is the presence of weapons of mass destruction as "proven" by intelligence report. However, these other issues are also brought up to appeal to