Syllogisms in Hidden Form

Most real-world arguments are syllogisms in disguise. When someone says "You should not trust that news source because it is funded by a political party," they are using an unstated major premise: all politically funded sources are untrustworthy. Spotting the hidden premise is the key to evaluating whether the argument actually works.

Advertisements rely heavily on hidden syllogisms. "Successful people drive this car" implies that driving this car will make you successful. The hidden premise — that the car causes success — is absurd when stated explicitly, which is exactly why it stays hidden.