Anappeal to pity (also calledargumentum ad misericordiam) is afallacy in which someone improperly appeals topity or similar feelings like empathy, as a method of persuading someone to agree with a conclusion.[1][2] It is a specific kind ofappeal to emotion. This fallacy can happen in two ways: 1) when an appeal to pity (or a similar emotion) has nothing to do with the actual point of the argument, or 2) when the emotional appeal is exaggerated or excessive compared to the situation being discussed.[3]Not all appeals to pity are logical fallacies. When the feelings of pity are directly related to the conclusion and help support the argument logically, they can be reasonable, such as appealing to pity when asking for help.[3]
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