This document discusses the appeal to pity fallacy. It is an attempt to distract from the truth of a conclusion by evoking sympathy or empathy. It encourages the other person to put themselves in the position of the speaker and see their unfortunate situation. Appeal to pity often uses emotional appeals to values to gain compliance. It can be an effective tactic as it plays on social norms of being compassionate, but it does not address the logic or merits of the argument.

1. APPEAL TO PITY
ARGUMENTUN AD MISERECORDIAM
Appeal to sympathy

2. APPEAL TO PITYThe attempt to distract from the truth of
the conclusion by the use of pity.

3. APPEAL TO PITYGain agreement by sympathy or empathy.
Show how you have a deserving cause.

4. APPEAL TO PITY. Get the other person to put themselves in
your shoes and see your sorry plight.

5. APPEAL TO PITYAppeal to Pity often uses values as
emotional levers to gain compliance.

6. APPEAL TO PITYGet the other person to put themselves in
your shoes and see your sorry plight.

7. APPEAL TO PITYThis can be particularly powerful, as it is a
strong social force.
It is about 'being good' and can easily lead
to further commitment.

8. Logical Form:
Person 1 is accused of Y, but person 1 is
pathetic.
Therefore, Person 1 is innocent.
X is true because person 1 worked really
hard at making X true.

9. EXAMPLE 1I really deserve an “A” on this paper,
professor. Not only did I study during my
grandmother’s funeral, I also passed up the
heart transplant surgery, even though that
was the first matching donor in 3 years.

10. EXAMPLE 2Ginger: Your dog just ran into our house
and ransacked our kitchen!
Mary: He would never do that, look at how
adorable he is with those puppy eyes!

11. APPEAL TO IGNORANCE
AD IGNORANTIUM

12. Logical Form:
X is true because you cannot prove
that X is false.
X is false because you cannot prove
that X is true.

13. APPEAL TO IGNORANCE
the fallacy that a proposition is true simply
on the basis that it has not been proved
false or that it is false simply because it has
not been proved true.

14. APPEAL TO IGNORANCE
The assumption of a conclusion or fact
based primarily on lack of evidence to the
contrary.

15. APPEAL TO IGNORANCE
This fallacy occurs when you argue that
your conclusion must be true.

16. EXAMPLE 1“Although we have proven that the moon is
not made of spare ribs, we have not
proven that its core cannot be filled with
them; therefore, the moon’s core is filled
with spare ribs.”

17. EXAMPLE 2Since the class has no questions concerning
the topics discussed in class, the class is
ready for a test.

18. “Absence of evidence
is not evidence of
absence.”