Appeal to hate

	Cogito ergo sum; Logic and rhetoric
	Key articles
	Logical fallacy; Syllogism; Argument;
	General logic
	Exception that proves the rule; Handwave; If-by-whiskey; Magical thinking; Sanctioning the devil; Word magic;
	Bad logic
	Anecdotal evidence; Chewbacca Defense; Denying the antecedent; Terrorism-baiting; Willful ignorance; 稻草人谬误; v - t - e

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.

“”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: Haskell.

gollark: This is the internet. Is that right?

gollark: This statement is false.

gollark: I think it's an alias for pay.

gollark: /withdraw is for the kristpay thing.

External links

See the Wikipedia article on Appeal to spite.
Fallacy: Appeal to Spite, Nizkor Project
Appeal to Spite, ESGS

This article is issued from Rationalwiki. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.