Fallacies are common and are many times used to persuade others into taking a side based on the perspective being presented. However, it is essential to catch fallacies right away because, by definition, they are a mistaken beliefs, or also known as, faulty reasoning. When an argument is being presented, it often crucial to be able to distinguish the various fallacies that exist in order to make the best possible decision. Some common fallacious arguments that can be spotted quickly lie in advertisements. Advertisements are designed to lure in their audiences by presenting viewpoints that are in their favor, and many times the information or even images alone can present a misleading and unsound arguments. In this essay, two magazine advertisements …show more content…
In this ad, in smaller font, it states, “Oh yes… you get the smoking satisfaction without inhaling the smoke.” Most readers would be intrigued by this statement that implies that it is virtually effortless to get the satisfaction of smoking one of these cigarettes (without inhaling). However, this statement is questionable because there are no facts or statements as to how this particular flavored cigarette works. So just because this statement has not been proven false, does not make the statement true. Cigarettes, even flavored ones require that the smoke produced be inhaled by the individual in order to achieve the satisfaction of the cigarett. The ad also clearly shows the man blowing out the smoke onto the woman’s face which demonstrates that the smoke was inhaled prior to the smoke being …show more content…
Immediately fallacies such as popular appeal, “snob appeal”, and inappropriate appeal to authority are present. Popular appeal is defined as “an appeal to popular opinion to gain support for the conclusion.” (Boss, 150) In this ad, Emma Watson, a famous movie actress is the face of the advertisement, while the main popular brand or logo that is presented is Lancome. Both Lancome beauty products and Emma Watson are popular amongst the public so the ad lures in its buyers by popular appeal. The public would most likely think that both the successful beauty product brand, Lancome and successful movie actress, Emma Watson must lead to a successful product and good choice to buy. However, fallacies such as snob appeal and inappropriate appeal to authority make this argument unsound. Snob appeal is when advertisers pay celebrities, such as Emma Watson, to endorse their products. The goal is to get buyers to make the decision on buying this product based on Emma Watson’s popularity and popular appeal. Unfortunately, this results in inappropriate appeal to authority. By definition, inappropriate appeal to authority is when the “testimony of an authority figure is presented in an area that is not in their expertise.” (Boss, 150) In this case, Emma Watson is the inappropriate authority figure because her area of expertise is in acting, not specifically in fragrance. Emma is promoting this