Appeal to Emotion

Appeal to emotion, or argumentum ad passiones (Latin), is an informal fallacy characterized by manipulating emotions to win arguments absent factual evidence. Aristotle described emotional arousal as critical to persuasion in his Rhetoric: "The orator persuades by means of his hearers, when they are roused to emotion by his speech." However, Aristotle warned that emotions may create beliefs where none existed or change existing beliefs. Appeals to emotion are one of three modes of persuasion (ethos, pathos, logos), but become fallacious when irrelevant emotions distract from rational evaluation. Common forms include appeals to consequences, fear, flattery, pity, ridicule, and spite.