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Fallacy: Appeal to Pity
Also known as: Ad Misericordiam
An Appeal to Pity is a fallacy in which a person substitutes a claim intended
to create pity for evidence in an argument. The form of the "argument" is as
follows:
- P is presented, with the intent to create pity.
- Therefore claim C is true.
This line of "reasoning" is fallacious because pity does not serve as
evidence for a claim. This is extremely clear in the following case: "You must
accept that 1+1=46, after all I'm dying..." While you may pity me because I am
dying, it would hardly make my claim true.
This fallacy differs from the
Appeal
to the Consequences of a Belief (ACB). In the ACB fallacy, a person is using
the effects of a belief as a substitute for evidence. In the Appeal to Pity, it
is the feelings of pity or sympathy that are substituted for evidence.
It must be noted that there are cases in which claims that actually serve as
evidence also evoke a feeling of pity. In such cases, the feeling of pity is
still not evidence. The following is an example of a case in which a claim
evokes pity and also serves as legitimate evidence:
Professor: "You missed the midterm, Bill."
Bill: "I know. I think you
should let me take the makeup."
Professor: "Why?"
Bill: "I was hit by a
truck on the way to the midterm. Since I had to go to the emergency room with a
broken leg, I think I am entitled to a makeup."
Professor: "I'm sorry about
the leg, Bill. Of course you can make it up."
The above example does not involve a fallacy. While the professor does feel
sorry for Bill, she is justified in accepting Bill's claim that he deserves a
makeup. After all getting run over by a truck would be a legitimate excuse for
missing a test.
- Jill: "He'd be a terrible coach for the team."
Bill: "He had his heart
set on the job, and it would break if he didn't get it."
Jill: "I guess
he'll do an adequate job."
- "I'm positive that my work will meet your requirements. I really need the
job since my grandmother is sick"
- "I should receive an 'A' in this class. After all, if I don't get an 'A' I
won't get the fellowship that I want."
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