Eight Classic Thinking Arguments

Excerpted from The Art of Clear Thinking by Rudolph Flesch who adapted this from Aristotle.

AD HOMINEM: An appeal to personal prejudice or "human nature." An example is: Look at yourself in a mirror after washing with Dove Soap; it's the only one that will get you really clean.

AD POPULUM: An appeal to emotion and desires held by the majority of people. An example is: The easiest way to be loved by everybody is to use Dove Soap.

AD MISERICORDIAM: Appeals to our desire to make other happy or to ease misery. An example is: Don't make your children unhappy by not washing them with Dove Soap.

AD BACULUM: Appeals to brute force ("the club") or bringing your idea forth in a forceful and consistent way. An example is having Dove Soap advertisements in a blitz every hour on the hour on all the major television networks.

AD CRUMENAM: An appeal to people's need to save money or be smart with money ("the purse"). An example is: Dove Soap costs 2 per cent less and is 50 per cent more floatable than any other soap.

AD VERECUNDIAM: Appeals to the snobbish side of people by playing up of prestige. An example is: All of the past five US Presidents were brought up exclusively on Dove Soap.

AD IGNORATUM: The appeal assumes that people will be ignorant and stay ignorant regarding some aspect of your presentation. An example is: Only DoveSoap contains the miracle ingredient Lodahocum. If you've never heard of Duratee Soap, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

AD CAPTANDUM: This is any dishonest arguement "to catch the crowd." An example is: Dove Soap is the favorite of everybody from coast to coast.