An appeal to fear (also called argumentum ad metum or argumentum in terrorem) is a fallacy in which a person attempts to create support for an idea by using deception and propaganda in attempts to increase fear and prejudice toward a competitor. The appeal to fear is common in marketing and politics.
Read more about Appeal To Fear: Logic, Example, Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, As Persuasion
Famous quotes containing the words appeal to, appeal and/or fear:
“Logic is like the sword—those who appeal to it, shall perish by it.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“Royalty is a government in which the attention of the nation is concentrated on one person doing interesting actions. A Republic is a government in which that attention is divided between many, who are all doing uninteresting actions. Accordingly, so long as the human heart is strong and the human reason weak, Royalty will be strong because it appeals to diffused feeling, and Republics weak because they appeal to the understanding.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)
“Have no fear that the wine [of my book] will fail, like happened at the wedding feast of Canna in Galilee. As much as I draw from the tap, I will replace in the bunghole. In this way the barrel will remain inexhaustible.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)