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Appeal to Bribery |
| Description: | ||
| The "argument" is actually an explicit or veiled bribe. In effect the argument says, "If you accept my position, I'll reward you." | ||
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| Examples: | ||
| "Children who know how to behave themselves just might get an ice cream cone." | ||
| "I am the best candidate for the office, and I promise to give working families like yours a big tax cut." | ||
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| Discussion: | ||
| It is very typical in human interactions to reward others
for doing what we want. Parents frequently reward children for good
behavior, and it is right that they should do so. What incentive would
any of us have to behave well if we got nothing out of it? Indeed, human
interactions can be seen as a complex web of mutual rewards as we promote
our own interests by serving the interests of others. The system of work for
pay is part of this web. Political promises, diplomatic agreements,
contracts, etc. are also part of the network of mutual rewards. It is not
necessarily fallacious to think that I should do something because someone
else has promised to reward me for doing it. The fallacy of Appeal to Bribery tries to mimic this legitimate exchange of rewards for desirable behavior. However, truth operates under different rules of exchange than goods and services do. One cannot agree to believe a falsehood in exchange for a reward. It is a mistake to think that belief is a commodity or behavior, like work, that can be bought and paid for. |
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| Classification: A Fallacy of Irrelevance (a deductive fallacy of soundness with a falsehood in the major premiss) in the Personal Appeals family. | ||
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| Source: I named this one specifically to create a match for the classic "Appeal to Force." | ||
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