Difference between revisions of "Appeal to guilt"

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(appeal to shame)
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==Overview==
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[[category:rhetorical deceptions]]An [[appeal to guilt]] is a form of [[emotional argument]] in which the target is encouraged to feel guilty or shameful for holding the views for which they are arguing, often by ascribing unprovably-false motives to the target, or motives which may seem "obviously true" even though they are not.
 
  
'''Also known as''': appeal to shame
 
 
==Validity==
 
==Validity==
 
The "appeal to guilt" is acceptable as a way of ''shaming'' an opponent into accepting an otherwise-valid argument when logic and reason have failed. Use of the "appeal to guilt" does not automatically invalidate the substance of the argument in which it is used; it is more of a signal that there may be unspoken assumptions which need to be examined more closely.
 
The "appeal to guilt" is acceptable as a way of ''shaming'' an opponent into accepting an otherwise-valid argument when logic and reason have failed. Use of the "appeal to guilt" does not automatically invalidate the substance of the argument in which it is used; it is more of a signal that there may be unspoken assumptions which need to be examined more closely.

Revision as of 01:05, 15 July 2009

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Validity

The "appeal to guilt" is acceptable as a way of shaming an opponent into accepting an otherwise-valid argument when logic and reason have failed. Use of the "appeal to guilt" does not automatically invalidate the substance of the argument in which it is used; it is more of a signal that there may be unspoken assumptions which need to be examined more closely.