# Appeal to force

*Also called: Argumentum ad baculum*

- **Cluster:** Emotional pressure — Feeling recruited to do the work of evidence
- **Page:** https://fallacy.wiki/fallacy/force/
- **In Arabic:** https://fallacy.wiki/ar/fallacy/force.md
- **Licence:** CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

## What it is

Replacing an argument with a threat of harm or loss.

## In the wild

> Agree with the plan or find another job.

## How to answer it

Name the threat plainly. Compliance is not agreement, and the claim is still unproven.

## Origin and naming

From the Latin 'argumentum ad baculum', 'argument to the stick'. The old name pictures the cudgel behind the speaker: agreement is extracted by threat, and the claim itself is left unargued.

## More places it shows up

- Legal suggests we don't discuss the pricing bug publicly — it would complicate things for everyone on this team.
- Agree that my essay deserves the top grade, or I'll report the department for how it treated me last year.
- The landlord mentions, mid-negotiation about repairs, that lease renewals are entirely at his discretion.
- In the group chat, the loudest member reminds everyone he knows who leaked the screenshots before the vote.

## How to spot it

- Notice when the argument would collapse if the listener had nothing to lose.
- Notice when 'let's keep this friendly' arrives with an inventory of what could go wrong for you.
- Notice when the room agrees faster than the reasons deserve.

## Nearby

- [Appeal to fear](https://fallacy.wiki/fallacy/fear.md)
- [Appeal to emotion](https://fallacy.wiki/fallacy/appeal-emotion.md)

## Read more

- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_baculum)
- [The Fallacy Files](https://www.fallacyfiles.org/adbacula.html)

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From fallacy.wiki — a bilingual field guide to 91 logical fallacies, published by phi holdings. Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): reuse freely with attribution to fallacy.wiki.