> Why is appeal to ignorance so commonly used, even by such intelligent
> and well educated individuals like yourself? That's the question
> that intrigues me.
Well, my experience from arguments on Usenet is that logical fallacies are easy, and the first line of defense of positions to which one has an emotional commitment. It is careful reasoning despite one's emotions that is difficult. It is also harder to analyze fallacious arguments than it is to use them.
Intelligence and education do not preclude emotional bias. Matter of fact, they help one rationalize one's biases better.
There are several sites that compile logical fallacies. I use Nizkor: http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
John