39,327
edits
prefix>Import Bot (Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.AppealToFear 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.AppealToFear, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 4:
* ''Argumentum ad metum''
* ''Argumentum in terrorem''
* [[Scare
::The slightly more subtle form of Appeal to Force, Appeal to Fear isn't a direct threat, but nevertheless is based on the idea that something terrible will happen unless you agree with a given position. The difference is that instead of
Line 14:
{{quote| "Agree that 2 + 2 = 5, or else social order will collapse, criminals will go free, and they will beat everyone up."}}
::This is a fallacy because whether an outcome is frightening has no relevance to whether the initial statement is true or not. Social order may collapse if you disagree that 2 + 2 = 5 (see [[Nineteen Eighty
{{examples
* One of the most common variants is so-called "Hellfire" preaching, where the preacher focuses on the terrible things that will happen to people who don't accept his claims rather than anything positive about the religion in question (and, notably, without ever proving Hell exists in the first place, making this an appeal to consequences - leading to Pascal's Wager.)
* Many old morality tales also use this fallacy by focusing on the horrible things that happen when children or adults break the rules; for example, [[The Boy Who Cried Wolf]] is traditionally eaten by a wolf for lying, as is [[Little Red Riding Hood]] for talking to a stranger.
|