Fallacies of Ethos

Fallacies of ethos relate to credibility. These fallacies may unfairly build up the credibility of the author (or his allies) or unfairly attack the credibility of the author's opponent (or her allies).

FALLACIES THAT MISUSE APPEALS TO ETHOS

Ad hominem: attacking the person making an argument rather than the argument itself.

Example: "Of course that doctor advocates vaccination—he probably owns stock in a pharmaceutical company."

False authority: relying on claims of expertise when the claimed expert (a) lacks adequate background/credentials in the relevant field, (b) departs in major ways from the consensus in the field, or (c) is biased, e.g., has a financial stake in the outcome.

Example: "Dr. X is an engineer, and he doesn't believe in global warming."

Guilt by association: linking the person making an argument to an unpopular person or group.

Example: "My opponent is a card-carrying member of the ACLU."

Poisoning the well: undermining an opponent's credibility before he or she gets a chance to speak.

Example: "The prosecution is going to bring up a series or so-called experts who are getting a lot of money to testify here today."

Transfer fallacy: associating the argument with someone or something popular or respected; hoping that the positive associations will "rub off" onto the argument.

Examples: In politics, decorating a stage with red, white, and blue flags and bunting; in advertising, using pleasant or wholesome settings as the backdrop for print or video ads.

Name-calling: labeling an opponent with words that have negative connotations in an effort to undermine the opponent's credibility.

Example: "These rabble-rousers are nothing but feminazis."

Plain folk: presenting yourself as (or associating your position with) ordinary people with whom you hope your audience will identify; arguers imply that they or their supporters are trustworthy because they are 'common people' rather than members of the elite.

Example: "Who would you vote for—someone raised in a working-class neighborhood who has the support of Joe the Plumber or some elitist whose daddy sent him to a fancy school?"

Testimonial fallacy: inserting an endorsement of the argument by someone who is popular or respected but who lacks expertise or authority in the area under discussion.

Example: "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV"—a famous example of a celebrity endorsement for a cough syrup (Deis, 2011, n.p.).