Missing Time - Rhetorical Devices

Parts of Argument	Rhetorical Device	Definition	Quote	Comment
Premises	Presumptions The normal	Based on a reference group or experience	“A larger segment of the scientific community should certainly be joining the investigation of what may turn out to be a watershed event. The Air force personnel charged with investigating UFO reports concluded in a top secret that UFO’s were extraterrestrial” (5).	The data came from a scientific consult, which makes it more likely that people will listen. If you take data from scientist and have them test it out, you are more likely believe the data (not always but sometimes). The author made sure to include the scientific part of the data to show how these things are happening more than we think and we should hear these people out and not be quick to judge like he first did. It sounds bizarre but what if its real.
Premise Modifiers	Presence Space	Making it feel close	“How I became involved in something so esoteric as the UFO phenomenon is something I’m not sure of myself, though one thing is clear; events came to me – I didn’t seek them out. I was not particularly interested at the time and I remember barely paying attention to them” (13).	The author first talks about how he didn't know if he believed in such things but when he saw the evidence and heard the stories and got to document them, he found that the unknown isn't a bad place to research and learn about. The author first telling the reader about how he didn’t really believe in these things can give the reader a sense of “okay maybe I’m not crazy” The author is making the story personable before getting into the things we know we will shut down. So the author makes sure to give a backup story before the reader automatically knocks down UFO and aliens. It’s a sense of connection with the reader that has to be made before you make bizarre claims.
	Interpretation	Make the data relevant	The white pages towards the end of the book (between pages 124 and 125) that has the pictures of scars from people and drawings of what the aliens may look like	By the end of the book the author may have captured some attention, but then again maybe not. The pages with the pictures can give the reader some sort of visual of what the author may be talking about. The pictures gives relevance to prove and make a statement on what may or may not be real. The author by this point still talks about how some of this can still all be speculation which is why these few pages of data is important. It’s kind of sort of like the author is not forcefully trying to get you to believe but tries and persuades the reader if the reader is stuck between believing and not believing .

They Knew The Unknown

Argument Modifier:	Premise:	Book Location:	Usage:
Prestige	Abstract	“ ‘One thing only I know, and I say it with all the emphasis I can give to words: there is another and supernormal way of getting knowledge’  The words are those of Upton Sinclair (1878-1968), social crusader, novelist, pamphleteer, author of some ninety books…”  Page 222 Chapter 22	Here they’re trying to argue this idea of there being supernatural powers by quoting someone and then explaining why what this person is saying should matter (because of their prestige)
Illustration	Presumptions	“At the time of Dr. Savage’s story the cable was not yet in existence.  Savage had a friend who set out for Ireland.  A few days later Savage was awakened one midnight and saw his friend by his bedside.  The friend said that he was dead, but not from drowning.  The boat had been wrecked on the coast of Ireland.  He had been killed by a beam that struck the left side of his head as he tried to get off the ship…Two or three weeks later came the news that the ship had indeed been wrecked; his friend’s body was found with the left side of his head crushed.” Page 224 Chp. 22	The author is using someone’s narrative in order to tie events together to prove that people can get knowledge paranormally.
Illustration	Presumptions	“I have the habit of working out a chapter of a book in my head, and writing down a few notes on a scrap of paper, and sticking it away in any place that is handy;  then, the next day, or whenever I am ready for work, it is gone, and there is the devil to pay” page 227 Chp. 22	Same as the example above.  The author is using someone’s events to prove paranormality, telepathy, ect. Is an actual thing and we should agree.

Gold of the Gods Perelman Analysis

The Gold of the Gods by Erich von Daniken

Fallacy and Perelman Analysis

Chapter 1: THE GOLD OF THE GODS

• In the first sentence alone, there is the Appeal to Misleading Authority: “To me this is the most incredible, fantastic story of the century. It could easily have come straight from the realms of Science Fiction if I had not seen and photographed the incredible truth in person. What I saw was not the product of dreams or imagination, it was real and tangible” (pg. 1). Here it can be said that since von Daniken saw the things he did and photographed them, that they are somehow now cold, hard fact and that every theory he presents concerning his findings must be true as well. Also, he claims that because he alone saw these things, that they must be true, even though it is reasonable to assume that none   of his readers have visited these tunnels. In relating the quote to Perelman, it could be categorized as Presumptions: the normal, since the author is basing the affirmation of his findings off of his experience. Under Premise Modifiers it would most likely be Presence: Time, as it seems like von Daniken needs to get his story out and let the whole world know. Under Quasi-logical arguments, the best example would have to be Comparison: Superlative, as he claims that his findings would be seen as “the most incredible, fantastic story of the century”.
• The last set of quotes that I want to mention in this chapter are as follows: “Is it [our own age] prepared to decipher an age-old work even if it means bringing to light truths that might turn our near and dubious world picture completely upside down?... the history of his origin was entirely different from the one which is instilled into him in the form of a pious fairy story” (pg. 10). This to me seems like a bit of Wishful Thinking. There are many people that discover ancient artifacts such as the ones von Daniken found that want to believe there are life-changing histories and stories behind collections of these relics that ·       will somehow undo and completely tear apart all of modern history because of one statue. In reference to Perelman, the most likely category for this particular quote would have to be Succession: Pragmatic. In this way, von Daniken is claiming that the act of accepting the theories that he is presenting would “turn our near and dubious world picture completely upside down”. Therefore, he is evaluating the act of accepting his theories by presenting the consequences of doing so.
• The rest of the first chapter was surprisingly boring and a bit of a let-down considering the name of the chapter. It is basically an inventory of the many things (made of gold) that von Daniken found during his trip into the tunnels and his many theories concerning the Incas and how they hid away all of these treasures from the Conquistadores.  

Chapter 2: THE WAR OF THE GODS

•          The second chapter of this book discusses the so called “war of the gods” in which an intergalactic battle took place amongst the many gods that von Daniken believes exists, and how the losers of this said “war” retreated to Earth. He goes on to support this argument by claiming that some of the artifacts that he found in the tunnels look “very similar” to items such as astronaut suits, satellites, and even potential “replicas” that could only be the spherical spaceships used to reach the Earth. Now I will present the most notable quotes from this chapter as follows:
  ·       One of von Daniken’s main claims in this chapter is at one point in time, namely millions of years ago, there were multiple gods in the universe. This can be seen here: “Yet the Old Testament mentions not just one god, but several gods”. He bases this massive claim off of the unconvincing evidence of a few verses in the Bible. Specifically, Genesis 1:26 “…let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the air…” (pg. 59-60). This is most definitely a Hasty Generalization and perhaps even a little bit of Wishful Thinking. As the Bible is such an ancient document that has been edited and translated so many different times, it itself is not a very reliable source for the type of claim that von Daniken made. The best category for the first quote, using Perelman, would have to be Example: Single. Even though this may not seem to be the best fit, it does appear that von Daniken is attempting to use the verses in the Bible that he mentions as just one example to support his entire argument.
  ·       von Daniken goes on to explain his theory of how the so-called “War of the Gods” took place, and more specifically how the extra-terrestrial beings that retreated to Earth got there. One can see evidence of more Appeal to Misleading Authority as well as potential Hasty Generalization throughout the rest of this chapter. One of the “misleading authorities” is Lord Kelvin of Largs, a professor at Glasgow University and a well-known physicist during the 1800’s. To quote von Daniken in regards to Lord Kelvin: “Kelvin was convinced that these unicellular vegetable cells – asexual germ cells…together with meteors or meteoric dust…developed under the life-giving power of light so that finally higher organisms could emerge from them…” (pg. 65). The rest of the chapter goes on to explain theories that von Daniken borrowed from well-known scientists including the possible number of celestial bodies that may exist in the universe, and how there is always the potential that at least some of them might contain some form of sentient life. This also represents the idea of an Appeal to Ignorance, as there is no concrete proof of any of the claims that von Daniken makes in the second chapter of his book, especially concerning the potential existence of life on other planets. It is all based on circumstance and hope, as we humans do not have the advanced technology to investigate or even to travel to any of the supposed Earth-like planets that exist throughout the universe. To relate this argument to Perelman, it may seem like a bit of a stretch, but Illustration: (for) Clarity appears to be the best fit. The “rule” or “reality” that von Daniken wants to paint a clearer picture of is the idea of the so-called “Unicellular vegetable cells” that traveled to earth and eventually evolved into modern-day human beings.
  
  

Alien Blog - Perelman Argument Table

Editorial Note: Apparently, my Fallacies blog, which was “written like the Declaration of Independence”, was not up to the standards of most people. So, to simplify things and to make your lives less hellish, I have chosen to make a table for the Perelman Argument styles and themes, in regards to my analysis of Raymond E. Fowler’s UFOs: Interplanetary Visitors. Hopefully, by using a table, your brains will not immediately melt.

And now, this memo has gone on too long. Please, continue happily and have a great day!

Joshua Oliver

The Perelman Theme/Tool	The Definition of the Theme/Tool	The Example in the UFO Book
Supposed (Facts/Truth)	Probably Data	Actually, this is rather what is attempted. Raymond tries to suppose truth unto the audience, which the intended audience (the paranoid and those mesmerized by alien life) will interpret as irrefutable proof. Skeptics, like myself, will not be as easily convinced. The examples in the chapters are so scattered that I cannot hope to list all of them. However, a hint is given in the title: “70 Startling Case Histories From Firsthand Reports.” Sounds like good data, right? Here’s the catch: All from the New England area. Small sample size elicits doubt among skeptics, but the intended audience will eat that detail up like a cat at the milk saucer.
Hierarchies – Abstract	Abstract values are not concrete: “truth”, “justice”. This is a hierarchy of abstract values.	There is no RELIABLE proof that alien life has visited the Earth. Fowler, in turn, must appeal to the believers by playing on the abstract values, namely the belief in aliens. Perhaps even, the belief in alien life is universal. Throughout the book, Fowler appeals to these values in alien life to seem credible and sensitive to the extra-terrestrial supporters. Without concrete evidence, all he is left with is suppositions and beliefs.
Division	Breaking something into parts.	I am 3 themes in, and I still do not need to give you page numbers. (I can give it to you from the title alone!) “70 Startling Case Histories From Firsthand Reports.” Take the entire premise of “aliens, man!” and break it into 70 digestible stories that all kinds of people can read. I rest my case.
Example - Single	One event is an example.	There are 70 examples of aliens, from 70 “reliable” cases. But you want page numbers, right?  Page 6, Chapter 1 “It Started with a Hamburger”. I quote the description that Enrico Gilberti gives Fowler of the UFO. “It was like two hamburger buns, one of top of the other, with a sandwiched piece of meat sticking out all around.” That is a classic UFO description, all right. So, clearly then, aliens!
Illustration – Presence	Event strikes the imagination in connection with a rule.	Take the previous theme’s example. The “Hamburger UFO”. It defies the standard thought of conventional aircraft. We understand a general sense of what UFOs look like (or may look like), but we also think about how they are different from our space shuttles, airplanes, helicopters, and jets. They manage to hover or use aerospace with a design we humans have yet to master. Perhaps they have better technology? Perhaps they have mastered aerodynamics? Perhaps the aliens are smarter than us, and we just do not understand air travel?
Definition - Normative	Prescriptive: what it should mean.	I am quoting Fowler on the page before the acknowledgements and table of contents, on the dedication page: “To my father, whose lifelong interest and experience with extraordinary phenomena has taught me over the years that understanding and progress do not come by ignoring or ridiculing the inexplicable. Rather, they come by facing the problem squarely through investigation, acknowledgement and study.” So, to Fowler, a true UFO spotter is one who is the best at investigating and studying UFOs, despite the fact that no true evidence of UFOs reliably exists. Also, he believes that study, investigations, and belief in UFOs alone will reveal the truth. He “acknowledges” the existence of UFOs, but what of the claims from the skeptics and critics against UFO sightings? Just pretend that the critics do not exist? That is so professional, Mr. Fowler!
Justice	A rule which requires identical treatment for beings or situations seen as the same.	This applies to almost all aspects of UFO investigations, but I will give a specific example. In the Chicken Coop Caper case, Fowler states this little detail on page 187: “The sideways zigzag descent or falling-leaf motion is a consistent flight characteristic of UFOs. The boys, not well-read on the UFO subject, described this maneuver in such a way that it obviously did not presuppose prior knowledge of this peculiar characteristic.” The application of this rule (or “pattern”) is that all UFOs can perform a zig-zag aerial maneuver, despite there being no physical evidence of this being the case. The supposition and characteristic itself is okay, as there are no true details. However, the application of this characteristic in all cases seems a bit ludicrous. Perhaps all UFOs and alien space craft can zig-zag their way out of danger, but until I see several saucer manage such motions with my own eyes or with untouched film footage/video documentation, I will remain skeptical and critical of this characteristic in applied circumstances.

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That was all the Perelman Argument Themes and Tools (or PATT, for short) that I could identify. There are likely more in the text that I missed. If you ever pick up Raymond E. Fowler’s UFOs: Interplanetary Visitors (1974) and spot a theme or tool that I did not detect, then feel free to let me know.

Unlike Fowler, I can take criticism and disbelief. 

Thank you for reading this post. I will see you fine people next time. Hopefully, I will not be abducted and probed...again... 

Oh, no! I hear those engines again! I gonna run! See ya next time!