Logical Fallacies - Appeal to Emotion

This is the logical fallacy that advertisers use the most.  The basic structure of the argument is that because I invoke a certain emotion, what I say must be true (or my point must be valid).  If you watched the presidential debates, I think both candidates made more appeals to emotion than actual logical statements.



There are lots of varieties of this fallacy.  The appeal to fear uses some sort of threat of a fearful consequence which might be tangentially related to the argument, but often is not really related at all.  Someone could argue that we can't let gay leaders in the boy scouts because our young boys could be influenced by these leaders to become gay, themselves.  This argument plays on fears of gay leaders infecting boys with gayness, as if it were a communicable virus.  It is a real fear, but has no actual merit.  Orientation is not catching.  So the argument is just appealing to fears of imagined danger for young boys.

You can also appeal to other emotions.  Appeal to pity is where you base your argument on the compassion of others.  Somebody could argue that the church should allow gay marriage because think of how gay Mormons must feel, being different, alone, and excluded.  This is clearly an appeal to pity, trying to make an argument by drawing on emotions rather than drawing logical conclusions.

An appeal to pride is when someone argues a point because it reflects well on the other.  For example, "you should support gay marriage because you are a good person, and good people support gay marriage."  The argument is trying to invoke a person's pride to make a point, and is thus fallacious.

This fallacy can take many forms.  For example, a "slippery slope" argument is an attempt to claim that making any compromise will lead to total defeat.  This argument is a form of the appeal to fear.  "First they wanted legitimacy, now they want marriage, then they'll want children, and finally they'll dismantle the institution of the family as we know it.  You give them an inch, they'll take a mile."  These kinds of arguments prey upon fears of the listeners rather than making solid arguments, and are therefore fallacious.

The appeal to emotion is often very effective because we are very emotional creatures, and are far more easily swayed by emotion than by reason.  I think our emotions are very important, and they help us make good judgments, most of the time.  But we have to be careful.  Recognizing the appeal to emotion fallacy can help us avoid using emotions to manipulate others, and avoid allowing ourselves to be manipulated through our emotions.