Content Fallacies

Epstein states in the text that Content Fallacies “use or require a false or dubious premise,” meaning that the premises of the argument are obviously false and manipulate various aspects of the claim in order to make sound convincing. There are ten different techniques that are used in order to make this claim. One technique that I have encountered recently is Appeal to Emotion, in which someone essentially takes advantage of your emotions in order to get what they want. The example the books gives is “You should believe or do (blank) because you feel (blank).” Recently, I overheard a girl who was upset because her other friend was spreading hurtful rumors that were not true. The person she was venting to then responded with “maybe you should spread a rumor about her in order to make her feel what you’re going through since you’re so upset.” Obviously, this is not sound advice and would not benefit anyone in any way; however, the statement appealed to the girl that was upset because the claim related to her and her emotions.