Appeal to hate
An appeal to hate is a logical fallacy that occurs when something is claimed to be true because (a) it is maddening or (b) its falsity would cause anger. Its inverse is the appeal to pity.
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Not to be confused with ad iram, which accuses someone of being angry and thus untrustworthy.
“”The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in. Within thirty seconds any pretense was always unnecessary. A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge hammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one's will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic. |
| —George Orwell, 1984 |
All poisoning the well arguments are an appeal to hate.
It is an emotional appeal and an informal fallacy.
Alternate names
- argumentum ad odium
- appeal to spite
Form
If the speaker hates the listener:
- P1: X is asserted in a maddening context.
- P2: (unstated) Anything asserted in a maddening context is true.
- C: X is true.
If the listener hates the speaker:
- P1: X is asserted by a maddening person.
- P2: (unstated) Anything asserted by a maddening person is false.
- C: X is false.
Explanation
Just because something makes you mad does not mean that it is more or less true.
Examples
- Don't listen to him, he's a [slur].
- Prior to meeting someone, you are told that they always try to get money from acquaintances. When you meet, everything you hear is tainted.
- Galileo claims that the Earth revolves around the Sun. But remember, he's heretic scum. Can you trust a man like that?
- Why shouldn't prisoners be forced to do hard labor? Prisons are full of scumbags!
- How could you believe in God? He's such a horrible tyrant!
- I will vote for him because He annoys people like you!
gollark: Wow, there are articles about buying the stuff, they actually *do*!
gollark: Actually reusing it would be efficient and sensible, so they almost certainly don't.
gollark: > how goes it?It goes very something-ly.
gollark: No, I mean you literally cannot prove that.
gollark: Somewhat relatedly, proving you've deleted something makes *no sense*.
See also
- Appeal to money
- Appeal to shame
- Appeal to pride
- Poisoning the well
External links
- See the Wikipedia article on Appeal to spite.
- Fallacy: Appeal to Spite, Nizkor Project
- Appeal to Spite, ESGS
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