Appeal to emotion
Etymology
Latin gathers these under "argumentum ad passiones," with named subtypes such as "ad misericordiam," to pity, and "ad metum," to fear. The root "passio" means suffering or strong feeling. Emotion is not out of place in argument; the fallacy is letting it stand in for the missing evidence.
noun phrase · /uh-PEEL too ih-MOH-shun/
Substituting feelings — pity, fear, pride — for evidence in support of a conclusion.
What it names
Spotting it lets you feel a pull without mistaking the feeling for a reason the claim is true.
Example
"Think of the children" ended the safety debate without a single fact about the actual risk — an appeal to emotion.
Related idea
An ad hominem works the opposite lever, stirring contempt for the person rather than sympathy for a cause.