Law Homework Help

One of the many problems with fallacious reasoning is that it often seems reasonable. Politicians and advertisers can often take advantage of that to get us to agree with them when they are using (intentionally or otherwise) fallacious reasoning.

Consider the old piece of advertising above.

Consider the old piece of advertising above. When this ad was used, doctors were among the most highly-respected professionals in a community. Their opinions were often held as being more important or better than those of other people, even in subjects for which they were not experts. This is an example of an argument from authority fallacy, suggesting that because doctors are respected professionals, their opinion on cigarette brands should be respected as well.

Initial Post:

1. Find an example of a logical fallacy in an advertisement. Print ads or video ads can be used, and either the ad itself or a link to a video ad should be included in your discussion.
2. What fallacy (or fallacies) is being used in the advertisement? Explain specifically how the fallacy is being used and what effect this might have on a viewer.
3. How could the advertiser make the same argument without using fallacious reasoning?
4. Is this advertising technique dishonest?