Argumentum ad baculum
From Freepedia
Argumentum ad baculum (Latin: argument to the cudgel or appeal to the stick), also known as appeal to force, is an argument where force, coercion, or the threat of force, is given as a justification for a conclusion. One participates in this type of argument when one points out the violent consequences of holding a contrary position.
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As a logical argument
A fallacious logical argument based on argumentum ad baculum generally has the following argument form:
- If x does not accept that P, then Q.
- Q is a threat or attack on x.
- Therefore, P is true.
This form of argument is a logical fallacy, because the attack Q may not necessarily reveal anything about the truth value of the premise P. This fallacy has been identified since the Middle Ages by many philosophers. This is a special case of argumentum ad consequentiam, or "appeal to consequences".
Example
- "The Bible is true: if I rejected it, I would be punished."
- (Direct use of physical violence are often applied against religious or political dissidents, such as the executions of Giordano Bruno and Michael Servetus, among many others)
As a non-logical argument
A similar but non-logical argument has roughly the following form:
- If x does not accept that P, then Q.
- Q is a threat or attack on x.
- Therefore, x should accept P to avoid Q.
This is not a logical argument in the technical sense since the conclusion uses non-logical or quasi-logical words such as "should" and does not answer whether P is true. Instead, this is a suggestion that one can benefit from a belief or apparent-belief in P, even if P is logically false. Whether such a suggestion is acceptable or should be followed is beyond the scope of logic, as it involves subjective issues such as practicality or ethics, especially if P is a moral position such as "R is ethical". Some pragmatists claim that many human beliefs are based on these types of arguments.
Example
- "I support the war: if I did not, I would be ostracized from the community"
- (Many young people in the United States who opposed the Vietnam War were told that they should not hold such a view, because they would face discrimination from potential employers.)
