Appeal to flattery
Appeal to flattery[1] is a fallacy in which a person uses flattery, excessive compliments, in an attempt to appeal to their vanity to win support for their side.[2] It is also known as apple polishing, wheel greasing, brown nosing, appeal to pride, appeal to vanity or argumentum ad superbiam.[3] The appeal to flattery is a specific kind of appeal to emotion.[4]
Flattery is often used to hide the true intent of an idea or proposal. Praise offers a momentary personal distraction that can often weaken judgment. Moreover, it is usually a cunning form of appeal to consequences, since the audience is subject to be flattered as long as they comply with the flatterer.[3]
Example:
- "Surely a man as smart as you can see this is a brilliant proposal." (failing to accept the proposal is a tacit admission of stupidity)
It is not necessarily a logical fallacy, however, when the compliment is directly related to the suggested action. Example:[3]
- "You are a stunningly beautiful girl – you should become a model."
See also
References
- ^ "Fallacy: Appeal to Flattery". The Nizkor Project. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
- ^ Sprouse, Scott (2017). The Reasoning Skills Workbook. p. 48. ISBN 9781387214617. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ a b c Bennett, Bo (2012). Logically Fallacious: The Ultimate Collection of Over 300 Logical Fallacies. p. 61. ISBN 9781456607371. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ Gary Curtis. "Emotional Appeal". Fallacy Files. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
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