Hidden Fallacies

            Most, if not all, of the greatest speeches in history contain fallacies in them. Although fallacies are considered as a sort of foul in rhetoric, they are very useful in some cases to persuade. In his famous speech at Kingsley Hall, Gandhi uses fallacies in a very effective manner. At first, it is very hard to spot them, since they are hidden in his complex use of logic in the speech. For example, the speech contains the many questions fallacy where Gandhi states, “Even in ordinary affairs we know that people do not know who rules or why and how He rules and yet they know that there is a power that certainly rules.” In this sentence, Gandhi combines several questions about the same topic but that could be answered in different ways. Instead of doing this, he establishes one conclusion that seems to cover them all. This allows him to cover an entire topic and answer some of the questions with the greatest controversies in very little time.

           Another example of a fallacy used is the fallacy of antecedent. This is present when he declares, “It is not a blind law, for no blind law can govern the conduct of living being….” Gandhi concludes that it is not a blind law because it has never been so it will never be. The use of this fallacy contributes to the persuasiveness of the speech since it seems as if the statement was completely true and inarguable, but it just contains a well-used fallacy. Finally, the use of a hasty generalization contributes to a speech which is delivering an opinion, but which appears to be stating an absolute fact. This type of fallacy is used when he states, “…Whereas humble and mute acceptance of divine authority makes life's journey easier even as the acceptance of earthly rule makes life under it easier.” There is no sufficient evidence that the acceptance of divine authority makes life’s journey easier, but in this statement it is stated as if it had all the evidence in the world. It is truly impressive to depict the diverse use of fallacies in this speech, since you can realize that even individuals like Gandhi, who appear to be talking straight from their hearts, actually use manipulative techniques such as these. How sneaky!