{"id":7657,"date":"2013-08-20T02:51:21","date_gmt":"2013-08-20T02:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=7657"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:59:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:59:37","slug":"appeal-to-emotion-as-a-logical-fallacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/appeal-to-emotion-as-a-logical-fallacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Appeal to the Reader&#8217;s Emotion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_7_IZPVHiMOg\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_7_IZPVHiMOg\" data-source-videoID=\"7_IZPVHiMOg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Appeal to the Reader&#8217;s Emotion Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Appeal to the Reader&#8217;s Emotion\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_7_IZPVHiMOg:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_7_IZPVHiMOg {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/194-Appeal-to-the-Readers-Emotion-1-1.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_7_IZPVHiMOg\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_7_IZPVHiMOg\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Appeal to the Reader&#8217;s Emotion\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_7_IZPVHiMOg\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_7_IZPVHiMOg\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_7_IZPVHiMOg\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction ecO_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"ecO\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"ecO_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"ecO\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Emotional_Appeal\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Emotional Appeal<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Emotional_Appeal_Examples\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Emotional Appeal Examples<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label><input id=\"FAQs\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"FAQs\">FAQs<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Hey guys! Welcome to this video on appeal to the reader&#8217;s emotion.<\/p>\n<p>What is an appeal to emotion? An appeal to emotion is an effort to win an argument without facts, logic, or reason, but instead by manipulating the emotions of the audience.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Emotional_Appeal\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Emotional Appeal<\/h2>\n<p>\nAn appeal to emotion is also classified as a <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/understanding-various-types-of-logical-fallacies\/\">logical fallacy<\/a>. A <strong>logical fallacy<\/strong> meaning that there is flawed or incorrect logic used in an <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/argumentative-writing\/\">argument<\/a>, therefore making the argument unsound.<\/p>\n<p>Now, it is important to distinguish that this is not the same thing as pathos. <strong>Pathos<\/strong> is certainly used to make an appeal to emotion, but they are different. Pathos is the emotional effect of the writer or speaker on the audience using various writing styles, rhetoric, vocal intonations, gestures, and so on. You can write in a way where you use pathos to evoke the emotions of your audience but also use facts and logic.<\/p>\n<p>But remember, an emotional appeal is an argument that only appeals to the emotions, without using facts, evidence, logic, or reason.<\/p>\n<p>An appeal to emotion generally follows a logical form (or lack of logical form) such as this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">This statement is true. Think of how bad you will feel if it\u2019s not true.<br \/>\nOR<br \/>\nThis statement is true. Think about how happy you will be if it is true.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThis can be pretty tricky to distinguish since pathos itself is the act of appealing to the audience&#8217;s emotions, but the phrase <em>appeal to emotion<\/em> means something else.<\/p>\n<p>Just know this: you are not committing a logical fallacy just because you incorporate pathos into your argument or writing, but you are committing a logical fallacy if you don\u2019t have any facts, evidence, logic, or reason to support your main conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>Now that, hopefully, we have cleared up any confusion as to how an appeal to emotion and pathos are different, we can look at some examples of emotional appeal.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Emotional_Appeal_Examples\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Emotional Appeal Examples<\/h2>\n<p>Take a look at this one:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">There is no such thing as objective truth in the world. It\u2019s all about your perspective. I heard about a six-year-old girl who became an orphan and was left to fend for herself. She was on the verge of starving to death, and like anyone would do, she went into a store, grabbed some food off the shelf, went back to the alley she had been living in, and started eating it. Who are we to say that is wrong?<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nLet\u2019s look at why this is an appeal to emotion, and therefore a logical fallacy.<\/p>\n<p>The claim being made is that there is no such thing as objective truth and that it is all about your perspective. Then, there is the appeal to emotion. We all get uncomfortably sad and want to help this sweet starving orphaned six-year-old girl. We don\u2019t want her to do die of starvation, we wish that her parents hadn\u2019t died, and we wish that she wasn\u2019t homeless.<\/p>\n<p>So then, with this image in mind, we are then persuaded to compromise the belief that stealing is wrong. The question asked in conclusion is \u201cWho are we to say this is wrong?\u201d This question singles out anyone that may still try to hold to the conviction that stealing is wrong, and attempts to make them feel like jerks. This is a really sad scenario, but there are still no facts or evidence supporting the claim that there is no such thing as objective truth.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at another example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">The United States Military needs to be eradicated. I spoke with a widowed mother who had just lost her husband who was overseas. She said to me, holding her 4 small children and tears streaming down her face, &#8220;Just make it stop.&#8221; Vote for me and I will put an end to this institution that is bringing pain and loss to thousands of Americans.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nOkay, so why is this an appeal to emotion?<\/p>\n<p>The claim made is that the United States military needs to be eradicated. Then, there is the appeal to emotion where the writer appeals to our sense of pity. No one wants this woman to have lost her husband and to be left alone to take care of four kids. That is heartbreaking. The writer then presents a call to action by asking us to vote for them so that there will be an end to pain and loss. However, there have been no facts or evidence presented to support the claim.<\/p>\n<p>As you watch the news, read articles, and watch commercials, practice identifying these logical fallacies.<\/p>\n<p>I hope this video was helpful!<\/p>\n<p>See you next time!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"FAQs-spoiler\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"faq-list\">\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">What is emotional appeal?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>Emotional appeal is an emotional manipulation that is often used to win an argument using feelings and emotion rather than logic.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">How do you write an emotional appeal?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>The most effective way to write an emotional appeal is to apply words that contain \u201cpathos,\u201d a quality that evokes pity or sadness. Such words include <em>strong<\/em>, <em>tragic<\/em>, <em>freedom<\/em>, <em>equality<\/em>, and <em>power<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">When is appeal to emotion not a fallacy?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>An appeal to emotion is not a fallacy when factual evidence replaces any misleading evidence; sometimes, objectively true facts and situations are emotional enough on their own to elicit emotions from the reader.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">Why is emotional appeal effective in advertising?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>Emotional appeal is often effective in advertising for a few different reasons. Foremost, using emotional appeal can make a brand or product more relatable by connecting the viewer to the brand or product on a more personal level.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">What is pathos?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>Pathos is an appeal to emotion, using words, art, or music. Pathos used in a piece of literature, for example, elicits feelings that are already inside a person in order to make that text more appealing.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/writing\/\">Return to Writing Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Writing Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91258,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-7657","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-reading-comprehension-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7657"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280337,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7657\/revisions\/280337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}