Theory of Communication Argumentation

Syllogism: if a is true, and b is true, then c must be true.

e.g. All men are mortal beings. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is a mortal being.
Fallacies:
Fallacies of reasoning in deduction
1. equivocation use the same term with two or more meanings or referents;
2. undistributed middle term failure to establish that the major term and the minor
term coincide (All Communists are people. All Americans are people. Therefore, all
Americans are Communists.);
3. illicit process a term in the conclusion has a wider extension than it has in the
premises (some men all men);
4. conclusion from two negative premises negative premises exclude relationships;
5. affirmative conclusion from a negative premise no conclusion is possible since
there is no relationship between two terms and a third term;
6. either/or fallacy the condition for valid inferences is that the alternatives be
exhaustive;
7. fallacy of affirming the consequent deductive reasoning that starts out with a
hypothetical proposition (If he makes concessions to the Russian ambassador, the
prestige of the US will decline. The prestige of the US has declined. He must have
made concessions to the Russian ambassador.);
8. fallacy of denying the antecedent ([Only] if he captures the undecided vote, he will
win the election [will he win the election]. He did not capture the undecided votes. He
did not win the election.)
Fallacies of reasoning in induction
1. faulty generalization jump to a conclusion from inadequate evidence (particulars are
irrelevant/unrepresentative/not numerous enough to warrant the conclusion, authority
quoted is biased/incompetent/outmoded or inaccurately quotes/misinterpreted/quoted
out of context);
2. faulty casual generalizations assign an inadequate cause to an effect or fail to take
into account hat there could me more than one cause for an effect, fail to establish that
a potential cause of an effect could and did operate in a particular situation pr fail to
take into account that the same cause can produce diverse effects (post hoc, ego
propter hoc);
3. faulty analogy (where there is smoke, there is fire).
Other fallacies:
1. begging the question (petitio principii);
2. argument ad hominem;
3. argument ad populum;
4. the red herring;
5. the complex question.