Argumentum ad baculum

We have a right to these territories; our victorious armies will demonstrate this forcefully if you insist upon disputing our rights.

In this argument, the acceptability of the claim that “We have a right to these territories” is supported by pointing out the negative consequences of not accepting it. The argument form can be determined as delta (q is A because q is Z): “We have a right to these territories (q) is acceptable (A) because we have a right to these territories (q) will be demonstrated forcefully if you insist upon disputing our rights (Z)”.

The premise takes a second-person perspective, so the argument substance is ‘II’: “We have a right to these territories is acceptable because we have a right to these territories will be demonstrated forcefully if you insist upon disputing our rights (II)”.

The keyword NEGATIVE MOTIVATION describes the relationship between predicates Z and U. The argument lever can thus be formulated as “will be demonstrated forcefully if you insist upon disputing our rights (Z) is a NEGATIVE MOTIVATION for being acceptable (A)”.

Source

The example is taken from Werkmeister (1948, p. 63) quoted in Walton, D.N. (2000), Scare tactics. Dordrecht: Springer.

Other examples

Notes

This argument is also known as the “appeal to the stick”.