What you’ll learn to do: evaluate logical fallacies in argument

Fallacies are errors or tricks of reasoning. We call it an error of reasoning if the fallacy occurs accidentally; we call it a trick of reasoning if a speaker or writer uses the fallacy in order to deceive or manipulate his or her audience.

The following are reasons to avoid logical fallacies in your writing. Logical fallacies:

• ruin an otherwise effective argument.
• damages your ethos, or credibility, as a writer.
• distracts from the purpose of the argument.