Jump to content

Appeal to pity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Argument ad misericordiam)

An appeal to pity (also called argumentum ad misericordiam, the sob story, or the Galileo argument)[1][2] is a fallacy in which someone tries to win support for an argument or idea by exploiting one's opponent's feelings of pity or guilt. It is a specific kind of appeal to emotion. The name "Galileo argument" refers to the scientist's suffering as a result of his house arrest by the Inquisition.

Examples

[edit]
  • "You must have graded my exam incorrectly. I studied very hard for weeks specifically because I knew my career depended on getting a good grade. If you give me a failing grade I'm ruined!"
  • "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, look at this miserable man, in a wheelchair, unable to use his legs. Could such a man really be guilty of embezzlement?"

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "Appeal to Pity". changingminds.org.
  2. ^ "Appeal to Pity (the Galileo Argument)". Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.