Appeal To Motive
Appeal To Motive
classification : informal – red herring – genetic fallacy – ad hominem
A pattern of argument which consists in challenging a thesis by calling into question the motives of its proposer. It can be considered as a special case of the ad hominem circumstantial argument.
Foundations
Appeals to Motive in Place of Support. A common feature of appeals to motive is that only the possibility of a motive (however small) is shown, without showing the motive actually existed or, if the motive did exist, that the motive played a role in forming the argument and its conclusion. Indeed, it is often assumed that the mere possibility of motive is evidence enough.
Examples
The referee comes from the same place as (a sports team), so his refereeing was obviously biased towards them.
Other Names
ad hominem circumstantial
fallacies of relevance
Included Fallacies
Appeal to Force
Appeal to Pity
Appeal to Consequences
Prejudicial Language
Appeal to Popularity
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