Appeal to emotion - Definition and Overview

Appeal to emotion is a logical fallacy wherein the arguer (who is using this fallacy) takes advantage of emotion to prove his or her argument. This is a type of red herring. It encompasses several logical fallacies, including:

• Appeal to fear
• Appeal to flattery
• Appeal to pity
• Appeal to ridicule
• Appeal to spite
• Wishful thinking

Related fallacies

Many other fallacies often, but not necessarily, constitute themselves or overlap an appeal to emotion. These include:

• Ad hominem attacks
• Guilt by association / honor by association
• Misleading vividness
• Pathetic fallacy
• Slippery slope
• Two wrongs make a right (if arguing for revenge)

External links

• About.com: Appeals to emotion index (http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/skepticism/blfaq_fall_emotion.htm)
• Fallacy Files: Emotional appeal (http://www.fallacyfiles.org/emotiona.html)
• Nizkor: Appeal to emotion (http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-emotion.html)
• Emotion Theory in Advertising (http://www.ciadvertising.org/student_account/spring_02/adv382j/jen/index.htm)