''Argumentum ad baculum'' ( Latin for "argument to the cudgel" or "appeal to the stick") is the

fallacy A fallacy is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning, or "wrong moves," in the construction of an argument which may appear stronger than it really is if the fallacy is not spotted. The term in the Western intellectual tradition was intr ...

committed when one makes an appeal to force to bring about the acceptance of a conclusion.John Woods: ''Argumentum ad baculum.'' In: ''Argumentation.'' Vol. 12, No. 4 (November 1998), pp. 493–504,
Online
. One participates in ''argumentum ad baculum'' when one emphasizes the negative consequences of holding the contrary position, regardless of the contrary position's truth value — particularly when the argument-maker himself causes (or threatens to cause) those negative consequences. It is a special case of the appeal to consequences.

Examples

The

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy The ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' (''SEP'') combines an online encyclopedia of philosophy with peer-reviewed publication of original papers in philosophy, freely accessible to Internet users. It is maintained by Stanford University. Eac ...

gives this example of ''argumentum ad baculum'': : If you don’t join our demonstration against the expansion of the park, we will evict you from your apartment. : So, you should join our demonstration against the expansion of the park. The phrase has also been used to describe the 1856 caning of Charles Sumner, an abolitionist Senator, by one of his pro-slavery opponents, Preston Brooks, on the floor of the United States Senate.

References

Causal fallacies Latin logical phrases Informal fallacies Relevance fallacies {{logic-stub

Examples

See also

References