Appeal to flattery[1] is afallacy in which a person usesflattery, excessive compliments, in an attempt to appeal to their audience'svanity to win support for their side.[2] It is also known asapple polishing,wheel greasing,brown nosing,appeal to pride,appeal to vanity orargumentum ad superbiam.[3] The appeal to flattery is a specific kind ofappeal 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 ofappeal to consequences, since the audience is subject to be flatteredas long as they comply with the flatterer.[3]
Examples:
A refusal which does not deny the compliment could be formulated thus: "I may be [positive attribute], but that doesn't mean that I will [perform action] for you."
It is not necessarily a logical fallacy, however, when the compliment is sincere, and directly related to the argument. Example:[3]
