Argumentum Ad Baculum Examples in Media, Real Life, Politics, News & Ads

Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy

What Is Argumentum Ad Baculum?

The “argumentum ad baculum” (Latin for “appeal to the stick”) is a fallacy that attempts to get the other person to agree with you by appealing to fear. This type of fallacious argument is known as a threat, intimidation, blackmail, or extortion.

An argumentum ad baculum fallacy is an appeal to force. It occurs when a person attempts to get another person to do something by using threats or intimidation.

For example,

“If you don’t give me your money, I will break your arm.”

It is an argumentum ad baculum because the threat of violence (“I’ll break your arm”) is used as a reason for doing something (“giving me the money”).

Note: A fallacy is a flaw in reasoning. There are two broad categories of fallacies:

  • Logical Reasoning
  • Rhetorical Reasoning

A logical fallacy pertains to an argument’s structure, while a rhetorical fallacy has more to do with how an argument is made rather than it’s content (i.e., tone).

The Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy (also known as “Appeal to Force”) occurs when one party threatens or uses force against another person to persuade them to accept their point of view; it depends on fear or threat instead of evidence and logic to win its point.

Related: Argumentum Ad Populum Examples

Argumentum Ad Baculum Examples

The fallacy is committed when someone threatens to use force or coercion on an individual in order to get them to accept a conclusion that they would not otherwise accept.

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Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy Examples in Philosophy

Examples of Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy in Philosophy:

The threat of force or coercion cannot be the only way for the person who commits this fallacy to convince people of their conclusion.

In philosophy, this type of argument is often used as a last resort by those who are unable to provide any other evidence for their conclusions.

Argumentum Ad Baculum Real Life Examples

Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy in Real Life:

  • The police officer threatened to arrest the suspect if he didn’t comply with his demands.
  •  A company’s CEO announced that all employees who do not work on Saturdays would be fired.
  •  The professor told the class they would have to take a quiz at the end of class if they did not turn in their reading assignment.

Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy Examples in Media

Examples of Argumentum Ad Baculum in Media: 

  • The president’s supporters are not safe from violence if they do not support him.
  •  If you don’t give me the money, I’ll break your arm.

Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy Examples in Advertising

Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy in Advertising: 

This type of fallacy is often used in political campaigns and commercials for products.

For example, A company’s advertising campaign tries to convince consumers that they should buy their product because it is better than the competition.

The ad makes a threat of some kind, such as “buy our product, or you will be sorry.”

Argumentum Ad Baculum Examples in Politics

Examples of Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy in Politics:

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  • The president is threatening to veto the bill if it passes.  “We will not negotiate with terrorists.”
  • “If you don’t vote for my candidate, I will never speak to you again.”
  •  The government is trying to take away your guns with this bill.
  • You need to go vegan, or you’ll die.
  • If you don’t vote for this candidate, the other one will win.

Argumentum Ad Baculum in Movies

Examples of Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy in Movies:

  • The movie scene where a character is told to do something or else they will be killed.
  • The movie scene where one character threatens another with violence if they don’t do what they are told.
  • The scene in the movie where one character tells another that if they don’t do what they’re asked, then there will be consequences.

Argumentum Ad Baculum Examples in Literature

Examples of Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy in Literature:

The argumentum ad baculum fallacy is a type of logical fallacy that occurs when an individual uses the threat of force to convince someone else to do something they might not otherwise have done.

This type of persuasion can be seen in the literature. It is often used by characters who want to manipulate others into doing what they want them to do without considering other options or perspectives.

 For example, in “The Scarlet Letter,” Hester Prynne’s husband forces her daughter Pearl to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest because he believes this will shame and humiliate Hester and keep the townspeople from gossiping about their affair with Reverend Dimmesdale.

Ad Argumentum Ad Baculum Examples In News

Examples of Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy In News:

The President said that we should not allow immigrants into the country because of a potential terrorist threat.

This is an example of the Argumentum Ad Baculum Fallacy in News. It does not provide any evidence to support its claims and instead relies on fear tactics to convince people.

Related: Appeal to Emotions Fallacy Examples 

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