Appeal to Force/Fear - Argumentum ad Baculum

The Latin term argumentum ad baculum means argument to the stick. This fallacy occurs whenever a person makes an implicit or explicit threat of physical or psychological violence against others if they refuse to accept the conclusions offered. It can also occur whenever its claimed that accepting a conclusion or idea will lead to disaster, ruin, or harm. You can think of the argumentum ad baculum as having this form: Some threat of violence is made or implied. Therefore, the conclusion should be accepted. It would be very unusual for such a threat to be logically relevant to the conclusion or for the truth-value of a conclusion to be made any more likely by such threats. A distinction should be made, of course, between rational reasons and prudential reasons. No fallacy, the Appeal to Force included, can give rational reasons to believe a conclusion. This one, however, might give prudential reasons for action. If the threat is credible and bad enough, it might provide a reason to act as if you believed it. It is more common to hear such a fallacy in children, for example when one says If you dont agree that this show is the best, Ill hit you! Unfortunately, this fallacy isnt limited to children. Examples and Discussion of the Appeal to Force Here are some ways in which we sometimes see the appeal to force used in arguments: You should believe God exists because, if you dont, when you die you will be judged and God will send you to Hell for all of eternity. You dont want to be tortured in Hell, do you? If not, it is a safer bet to believe in God than to not believe. This is a simplified form of Pascals Wager, an argument often heard from some Christians. A god is not made any more likely to exist simply because someone says that if we dont believe in it, then we will be harmed in the end. Similarly, belief in a god is not made any more rational simply because we are afraid of going to some hell. By appealing to our fear of pain and our desire to avoid suffering, the above argument is committing a Fallacy of Relevance. Sometimes, the threats can be more subtle, as in this example: We need a strong military in order to deter our enemies. If you dont support this new spending bill to develop better airplanes, our enemies will think we are weak and, at some point, will attack us - killing millions. Do you want to be responsible for the deaths of millions, Senator? Here, the person doing the arguing isnt making a direct physical threat. Instead, they are bringing psychological pressure to bear by suggesting that if the Senator does not vote for the proposed spending bill, s/he will be responsible for other deaths later on. Unfortunately, no evidence is offered that such a possibility is a credible threat. Because of this, there is no clear connection between the premise about our enemies and the conclusion that the proposed bill is in the countrys best interests. We can also see the emotional appeal being used - no one wants to be responsible for the deaths of millions of fellow citizens. The Appeal to Force fallacy can also occur in cases where no actual physical violence is offered, but instead, just threats to ones well being. Patrick J. Hurley uses this example in his book A Concise Introduction to Logic: Secretary to boss: I deserve a raise in salary for the coming year. After all, you know how friendly I am with your wife, and Im sure you wouldnt want her to find out whats been going on between you and that sexpot client of yours. It doesnt matter here whether anything inappropriate has been going on between the boss and the client. What matters is that the boss is being threatened - not with physical violence like being hit, but rather with his marriage and other personal relationships being destabilized if not destroyed.

Exploring the Different Types of Special Needs Education...

Special Needs In earlier, more primitive civilizations, all persons were expected to be able-bodied in order to stay alive. Those persons who had defects noted at birth were note protected and allowed to die at delivery or in early years. As time progressed, researchers and medical doctors began to study and treat children with disabilities. These actions aided in supporting the live on children that are challenged with disabilities (Reynolds Fletcher-Janzen, 2002) Special needs education is defined as teaching and support developed give attention to exceptional educational requirements. The phrase â€Å"special needs† in education has emerged to replace the phrase â€Å"special education.† Special education primarily gave reference to†¦show more content†¦Consistent use of the term special needs denotes a positive reception of the different types of promising resources that are available for consideration. The supplementary instruments are those made avai lable that supersede the resources commonly available to students where a thought not given the requirements students likely to have certain challenges in admittance of standard education programs. (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, 2000) Special needs children are also called exceptional children. According to Heward (2010), every child displays dissimilarities from each other with respect to physical features and learning capabilities. The main dissimilarity between many children is comparatively small, helping these children to profit from standard educational curriculum. When physical features and learning capabilities diverge from the standard (whichever lower than or higher than), these students are called exceptional children. These exceptional children need a personalized educational plan of special learning and associated resources to obtain the complete benefit of learning. 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Echoes free essay sample

After the music stops, and the piano collects dust, only few will hear that glorious sound. Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Chopin continually ring through my ears. And once heard, the sound becomes unforgettable–just like him. The things he did always came off a little strange–constantly inventing thing, improving lasers, and editing picture. But, despite his odd habits, he was a kid-genius, especially when it came to music. Music was his life and his everything. And that keyboard in his room? It got used at least an hour every day. Yet, his life was cut short when hit by a car, laser batteries in hand. Practice, practice, and more practice–always striving to attain the best. His attitude was to work hard, knowing thered be payoff in the end, knowing he could stand out in this world. He knew he could be someone. Someone well-known. Yet, he was unknown to the surrounding witnesses at the scene. We will write a custom essay sample on Echoes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Just as it was in his life, music is a priority to me. Although Ive had constant pressure to press on with my skills, and continue with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony, there have been countless times Ive wanted to quit. But then I recall my cousins dedication, and continue forward. I need to do this for him–to help others know me, and Georgie. He has been absent from Earth for a little over a year now. Yet, his piano still rings.