The Emotional Appeals Family

Emotional appeals are fallacies that persuade by appealing to emotions (desires, gut reactions, etc.) that are not relevant to the question at hand. Since emotions often have opposites, one characteristic of the Emotional Appeals family is that they frequently seem to come in pairs. However, as times and tastes change, one member of the pair may have the stronger appeal and therefore tend to be more common.

The fallacies in the Emotional Appeals family are...

Appeal to Pity (Ad Misericordiam)

Appeal to Utility

Appeal to Fear

Appeal to Hope

Appeal to Humor

Appeal to Gravity

Jingoism (Appeal to Patriotism)

WELCOME                     EXPLANATION OF PRINCIPLES                                     TABLE OF FALLACIES                        EXERCISES                     INDEX