Fallacies in Marketing and Advertisements
Sasha Lopez
Mr. Davis
IB Math Studies, P.4
November 1, 2011
Fallacies In Marketing and Advertisements
A fallacy is an error in logical thinking. Fallacies are defects in an argument that cause an argument to be invalid, unsound, or weak. Having a background in fallacies benefits you in clarifying your own thinking and in defending yourself in manipulation. There are many ways to categorize fallacies. Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, was the first to try to systematically describe and categorize them, identifying thirteen fallacies divided into two groups. These two general groups are: formal and informal. A formal fallacy is a defect which can be identified merely by looking at the logical structure of an argument rather than any specific statements. Informal fallacies are defects which can be identified only through an analysis of the actual content of the argument.
An example of an informal fallacy is ad populum. Ad populum is Latin for, “appeal to the people. “ It’s a fallacious argument that concludes a proposition to be true because many or most people believe it. This type of argument is known by several names including appeal to the masses, appeal to belief, appeal to the majority, argument by consensus, consensus fallacy, authority of the many, and bandwagon fallacy. Ad populum is common in marketing. Many advertising slogans are based on this fallacy.
Recently I’ve been comparing my favorite two cars , the Lexus IS300 and the Acura RSX to see which one is better. A Lexus IS300 is said to be a luxury car. Kelly Blue Book gave the first generation IS300 its Best to Hold Value Award in 2001. “The Passionate Pursuit of Perfection” is the popular and long-standing company motto for the Lexus Company. This motto is used in advertisements and commercials to convince people that it’s the best luxurious car around due to perfection. On the other hand, an Acura RSX is said to be luxury car as well. The RSX was listed among Car and Driver
Mr. Davis
IB Math Studies, P.4
November 1, 2011
Fallacies In Marketing and Advertisements
A fallacy is an error in logical thinking. Fallacies are defects in an argument that cause an argument to be invalid, unsound, or weak. Having a background in fallacies benefits you in clarifying your own thinking and in defending yourself in manipulation. There are many ways to categorize fallacies. Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, was the first to try to systematically describe and categorize them, identifying thirteen fallacies divided into two groups. These two general groups are: formal and informal. A formal fallacy is a defect which can be identified merely by looking at the logical structure of an argument rather than any specific statements. Informal fallacies are defects which can be identified only through an analysis of the actual content of the argument.
An example of an informal fallacy is ad populum. Ad populum is Latin for, “appeal to the people. “ It’s a fallacious argument that concludes a proposition to be true because many or most people believe it. This type of argument is known by several names including appeal to the masses, appeal to belief, appeal to the majority, argument by consensus, consensus fallacy, authority of the many, and bandwagon fallacy. Ad populum is common in marketing. Many advertising slogans are based on this fallacy.
Recently I’ve been comparing my favorite two cars , the Lexus IS300 and the Acura RSX to see which one is better. A Lexus IS300 is said to be a luxury car. Kelly Blue Book gave the first generation IS300 its Best to Hold Value Award in 2001. “The Passionate Pursuit of Perfection” is the popular and long-standing company motto for the Lexus Company. This motto is used in advertisements and commercials to convince people that it’s the best luxurious car around due to perfection. On the other hand, an Acura RSX is said to be luxury car as well. The RSX was listed among Car and Driver