# rhetoric

Ad Hominem

Attacking the person making the argument instead of the argument itself.

Appeal to Common Sense

Using 'it's just common sense' as a substitute for evidence or argument, treating intuition as self-evident truth.

Appeal to False Authority

Using an expert's opinion as evidence when they have no relevant expertise - fame and credentials aren't the same thing.

Circular Reasoning

An argument that uses its own conclusion as one of its premises - going round in circles without proving anything.

Psychological Phenomenon

Competitive Victimhood

The tendency for groups in conflict to compete over who has suffered more, using their pain to claim moral authority and deflect accountability.

Dog Whistling

Using coded language that sounds innocent to most people but carries a hidden message to a specific audience.

Euphemism

Softening harsh realities with gentler language - sometimes kindly, sometimes to hide the truth.

False Balance

Presenting two sides as equally valid when the evidence overwhelmingly supports one.

False Dilemma

Presenting only two options when more exist - forcing a choice between extremes and ignoring everything in between.

Gish Gallop

Overwhelming an opponent with a rapid flood of arguments, regardless of accuracy, so that none can be adequately addressed.

Loaded Language

Words chosen to trigger an emotional reaction rather than communicate neutral information.

Loaded Question

A question that contains a built-in assumption, making it impossible to answer without appearing to accept that assumption.

Motte-and-Bailey

Defending a controversial claim by retreating to an uncontroversial one, then acting as if they are the same thing.

Scapegoating

Blaming a person or group for problems they didn't cause, diverting attention from the real source.

Straw Man

Misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack.

Thought-Terminating Cliche

A commonly used phrase that shuts down critical thinking by making further discussion feel unnecessary.