Baculum, Argumentum Ad

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PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.

'When reason fails you, appeal to the rod.' (46).

Pirie lists Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin as a classic adherent. (47).

This fallacious approach uses force as means of persuasion as the argument would be lost without it. (46).

This would be a philosophical and psychological tool at times of political dictatorships, radical religious fundamentalists, radical liberals, and the corporate world, as examples.

The fallacy could be used on a parental level...

The threat of force does not have to be in the form of physical violence. (46). This fallacy occurs when 'unpleasant consequences are promised for failing to comply with the speaker's wishes'. (46).

The author reasons that irrelevant material is brought into an argument. (46). The argument is largely abandoned and instead, forceful persuasion is used and depended on. There is a 'breakdown and subversion of reason'. (46).

Philosophy Home Page

Cited

'I. Argumentum ad Baculum (fear of force): the fallacy committed when one appeals to force or the threat of force to bring about the acceptance of a conclusion. The ad baculum derives its strength from an appeal to human timidity or fear and is a fallacy when the appeal is not logically related to the claim being made. In other words, the emotion resulting from a threat rather than a pertinent reason is used to cause agreement with the purported conclusion of the argument.

The ad baculum contains implicitly or explicitly a threat. Behind this threat is often the idea that in the end, "Might makes right." Threats, per se, however, are not fallacies because they involve behavior, not arguments.

Often the informal structure of argumentum ad baculum is as follows.

If statement p is accepted or action a is done, then logically irrelevant event x will happen. Event x is bad, dangerous, or threatening. Therefore, statement p is true or action a should be rejected.'

Cited

'II. Examples of ad baculum fallacies:

Chairman of the Board: "All those opposed to my arguments for the opening of a new department, signify by saying, ‘I resign.’

" The Department of Transportation needs to reconsider the speed limit proposals on interstate highways for the simple reason that if they do not, their departmental budget for Department of Transportation will be cut by 25%.'

End Citations

My example

Space Commander: 'All those opposed to my orders in regard to the new security measures can open up the airlock and step outside and go for a very long walk...'