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Appeal To Fear
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This fallacy has the following Argument Form :
:Either P or Q
:Q is fearsome
:Therefore, P is true.

The argument is fallacious because it concludes P as true, even though this does not follow from the premises. The Appeal To Emotion is used in exploiting existing fears to create support for the speaker's proposal, namely P. The appeal to fear fallacy is closely linked to the False Dilemma fallacy, in which a scary situation is often provided as a proposed idea's sole alternative.

Some examples which rely on this argument are:
  • "We must raise taxes or else even more hospitals will be closed."

  • "You should stop drinking unless you want to die young like your father."

  • "If you don't graduate from High School , you'll always be poor."

  • "Believe in God or burn in Hell." (this also uses Appeal To Force )

  • "Quit smoking or you will die of cancer."

  • "If we don't introduce ID Cards , The Terrorists Have Won ."

  • "If the defendant is acquitted, there will be riots. Therefore, he should be found guilty."




AS PERSUASION

Fear appeals are often used in Marketing and Social Policy , as an method of Persuasion . Fear is an effective attitude changer, especially fears of social exclusion, and getting laid-off from ones job. Fear appeals are ''nonmonotonic'', meaning that the level of persuasion does not increase in proportion to the amount of fear that is used. A study of public service messages on AIDS found that if the messages were too aggressive or fearful, they were rejected by the subject; a moderate amount of fear is the most effective Attitude changer.

Noam Chomsky , among others (incl. Marilyn Manson , and Adbusters ), have suggested that the appeal to fear plays a role in social Oppression on a large scale. According to this belief, political institutions and the Mass Media use the appeal to fear to foster Conformity and maintain the Status Quo .


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