There are many logical fallacies, and over the next few weeks and months, I will occasionally focus on a fallacy. While fallacies are typically from the debating sphere and may seem out of place on a blog dedicated to writing, they do appear in writing as well. And not just in social media and blog comments either. They can appear in website and marketing copy, political speeches, opinion pieces, and so on.
Today’s fallacy is appeal to emotion.
What is the appeal to emotion fallacy?
An appeal to emotion fallacy is when a speaker tries to elicit an emotional response from their audience rather than putting forth an argument. This tactic is often used when the speaker wants to convince the audience but has no rational explanation for their position.
Examples of appeal to emotion fallacy
Here are some actual examples of the appeal to emotion fallacy:
- Eat up all your supper; there are children starving in China.
- I’m so glad I belong to this church; I fear what my life would be like without it.
- Letting trans people choose which washroom they use can lead to predators using the wrong washroom, putting children at risk of harm.
- If we don’t cut back on immigration, more illegal immigrants are going to steal your jobs and live off government welfare, forcing your taxes up.
In all the above examples, the speaker states a position, but then rather provide rationale or evidence for that position, simply tries manipulating emotion in the audience. If the audience feels the intended emotion, they may be convinced that the speaker’s position is justified
Using appeal to emotion is unfair to those you debate, and it’s intellectually lazy for you. Hopefully, these examples explain the importance of focusing on an opponent’s actual claims.
Which logical fallacy should I cover next? Let me know in the comments below.