Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Fallacies in Famous Speeches

In Patrick Henry's speech, many fallacies are used alongside rhetoric and facts. One specific fallacy happens to be his first line: "No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House." While, yes, he may think very highly of the people who have addressed the House previous to him, this is no way guarantees that he is the one who thinks most highly of them. He can't possibly know how highly everyone else thinks of the people who have just talked; therefore, this is argument to omniscience. The definition of argument for omniscience being "an arguer would need omniscience to know about everyone's beliefs or disbeliefs or about their knowledge", this line definitely constitutes as being this fallacy.

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