Appeal to Fear, Appeal to Pity, Snob Appeal, & Chronological Snobbery

APPEALS

When fear, not based on evidence or reason, is being used as the primary motivator to get others to accept an idea, proposition, or conclusion.

Also know as Ad mentum Scare tactics

Exception: When fear is not the primary motivator, but a supporting one, and the probabilities of the fearful event happening are honestly disclosed, it would not be fallacious.

APPEAL TO FEAR

If we don’t bail out the big automakers, the US economy will collapse.  Therefore, we need to bail out the automakers.

EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE

The attempt to distract from the truth of the conclusion by the use of pity.

Also known as Appeal to sympathy

Avoid pity in argumentation.  It is a clear indicator that you have weak evidence for your argument.

APPEAL TO PITY

I really deserve an “A” on this paper, professor.  Not only did I study during my grandmother’s funeral, I also passed up my heart transplant surgery, even though that was the first matching donor in 3 years

EXAMPLE

When an attempt is made to win support for an argument, not by the strength of the argument, but by using flattery on those whom you want to accept your argument.  This fallacy is often the cause of people getting tricked into doing something they don’t really want to do.

Also known as Appeal to pride Brown nosing

Flattery might get you somewhere, but it’s usually a place you don’t want to be.

SNOB APPEAL

You should certainly be the one who washes the dishes -- you are just so good at it!

 Sales guy: You should definitely buy this car.  You look so good in it -- you look at least ten years younger behind that wheel.

EXAMPLE

The belief that people languished in the past until some modern solution fixed the problem.

Synonym Progressivism Chronological snobbery

APPEAL TO TRADITION OR TECHNOLOGY

Why must we accept medieval art as having any value when it emerged from the same period in which people burned witches and believed in fairies?

EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE