Ethical Fallacies

Asks audiences to agree with the assertion of a writer based simply on his or her character or the authority of another person or institution who may not be fully qualified to offer that assertion.Ex. My high school teacher said it, so it must be true

Occurs when someone offers personal authority as proof.Ex: Trust me -- my best friend wouldn't do that

Calls someone's character into question by examining the character of that person's associates.Ex: Sara's friend Amy robbed a bank; therefore Sara is a delinquent.

Compares minor problems with much more serious crimes (or vice versa)Ex: These mandatory seatbelt laws are fascist

Arguments attack a person's character rather than that person's reasoning.Ex: Why should we think a candidate who recently divorced will keep her campaign promises?

Arguments set up and often dismantle easily refutable arguments in order to misrepresent an opponent's argument in order to defeat him/herEx:Person a: We need to regulate access to handguns.Person b: My opponent believes that we should ignore the rights guaranteed to us as citizens of the US by the Constitution. Unlike my opponent, I am a firm believer in the constitution, and a proponent of freedom

Unreasonably advance the writer's own authority or character.