Argument by Rhetorical Question

wait what, leading questions are a fallacy? how much different are they are from loaded questions?

"Keep in mind that I had a difficult time seeing it as a fallacy, thus in that category. The problem with reasoning related to this is when the rhetorical question is used as a diversion and the interlocutor falls for it."

Do you have any examples?

"As for #2, this might be context dependent (example would be needed)."

The only discussion I can find online about this is in this article - https://philosophy.lander.edu/logic/complex.html

A couple of examples from the article are as follows:

• ”[Rep. Keith] Ellison will perhaps make a distinction between his religious convictions and his political convictions. But do we need yet another left-wing politician telling us that religious values have no place in the public square — let alone one who will claim what is good for the public square is exactly what his religion prohibits? Who is this man? Does he stand for anything other than hunger for political power?”[82] - the last question is rhetorical and concludes Keith Ellison is power hungry but I'm not sure if this is actually fallacious.

• “[Supreme Court Justice] Scalia's plight seemed all the more anachronistic because the man arguing for gay marriage was Ted Olson, the former solicitor general for George W. Bush's administration. Most of the time, Olson got the best of his ideological comrades.

  ‘When did it become unconstitutional to exclude homosexual couples from marriage?’ Scalia asked Olson.

  ‘When did it become unconstitutional to prohibit interracial marriages?” Olson retorted.[87]"

An example I thought of myself would be if say in an argument about the merits of gun control laws, a person who is against gun control laws asked rhetorically "Do you not realise how harmful gun control laws are?". Would this be a complex question fallacy?

I see no fallacies in the Scalia rant.

An example I thought of myself would be if say in an argument about the merits of gun control laws, a person who is against gun control laws asked rhetorically "Do you not realise how harmful gun control laws are?". Would this be a complex question fallacy?

If they are not addressing the argument then they would be avoiding the issue . I think this would a complex question fallacy, but the fallacy is because of the question, not because it might be rhetorical.

"I see no fallacies in the Scalia rant."

What about the quote about Keith Ellison?

"I think this would a complex question fallacy, but the fallacy is because of the question, not because it might be rhetorical."

Sorry, not sure I understand. Are you saying that even if this is rhetorical, that it would still be considered a complex question fallacy?

There is no argument here... just opinionated rant.

The fallacy would be with the complex question (might be a stretch given not really an argument). Whether it is or is not rhetorical is not factored in the fallaciousness.

So a complex question fallacy only occurs when there is an argument alongside it?

That is the criterion we use on this site for a fallacy, but in a more general sense (and I think even some examples in the book), the question itself can be a fallacy. I often mention the "degree" of fallaciousness rather than something being a fallacy or no fallacy. The context will help determine if there was bad reasoning involved somewhere.

[To Bo Bennett, PhD]

That makes sense. But if questions can be a fallacy on their own, why do you believe the Scalia and Ellison examples aren't a fallacy as they each contain a presupposition?

The fallacy would be with the complex question in those rants, but I wouldn't want to argue that they are fallacious because of context... it is more of rant/opinion than an argument  (even an implied argument). Of course, you can argue for a fallacy, I won't stop you :)

"I'd have to see the question itself to be fully sure, but I don't think so. Rhetorical devices aren't arguments by themselves."

I've provided a couple of examples in my reply to Bo.