Argumentum ad martyrdom

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{{cquote|But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at [[Columbus]], they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.|||[[Carl Sagan]]<ref>[http://www.srmhp.org/archives/quotes-pseudoscience.html Quotes, Stories, and Bon Mots related to Pseudoscience & Mistaken Pronouncements]</ref>}}
'''Argumentum ad martyrdom''' is a pseudo-[[Latin]] term{{efn|Correct Latin would be ''ad martyres''.}} used for two different [[logical fallacies]] commonly favored by [[crank]]s and [[Biblical literalism|Christian fundamentalist]]s:
* [[Galileo gambit|That a belief becomes true if the person asserting it is hated for it.]]
* That [[martyr]]dom is [[evidence]] of the [[truth]] of a proposition as [[Begging the question|martyrs would not die for nothing.]]

==Galileo gambit variation==
{{main|Galileo gambit}}
{{cquote|Argumentum ad martyrdom — I perceive that they don't like me, therefore I am correct.|||Tinker Grey<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150414192236/http://www.christianforums.com/t7417926-64/ Argumentum ad martyrdom — I perceive that they don't like me, therefore I am correct.] by Tinker Grey (24<sup>th</sup> November 2009, 01:25 PM) ''Christian Forums'' (archived from April 14, 2015).</ref>}}

This version typically stems from a belief that the message being conveyed makes people hostile because of its truth. This usage was initially coined by "Tinker Grey", a [[secular]] member of Christian Forums<ref>[http://www.christianforums.com Christian Forums]</ref> who saw that refuting an argument of a member who was under the impression that other members hated them resulted in a bolstering of their confidence in their refuted argument.

The argument is reportedly popular with Christians as the [[Bible]] says to expect [[Persecution complex|persecution for your beliefs]] and that persecution indicates you are right (e.g., {{bible|Matthew|5|11|12}}):
{{cquote|Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of [[evil]] against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in [[heaven]], for in the same way they persecuted the [[prophets]] who were before you.}}

(And lots more.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190523085236/http://www.topical-bible-studies.org/20-0030.htm All That Will Live Godly in Christ Jesus Shall Suffer Persecution] ''
Topical Bible Studies'' (archived from May 23, 2019).</ref>)

==Personal certainty==
This usage is the argument that Christianity (or, for that matter, [[Islam]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190522100600/http://bahai-library.com/winters_dying_for_god ''Dying for God: Martyrdom in the Shii and Babi Religions''] by Jonah Winters (1997) Master of Arts thesis, University of Toronto via ''Bahá'í Library'' (archived from May 22, 2019).</ref> or whatever) is true because people would not martyr themselves for it if it were false, sometimes presented in the rhymed statement that martyrs wouldn't "die for a lie". Thus, the martyrs' assumed personal certainty is advanced as evidence for a proposition.  

This usage precedes the "Galileo gambit" usage,{{efn|"And, once again, we find a Biblical prophesy fullfilled in our lifetime — the Bible clearly predicts that the day will come when those who profess a belief in Jesus Christ will be persecuted and ridiculed." by SensibleSam<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150414192232/http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?p=593779&sid=97302f75e2360dfdf64e076e7303976e Re: Article Discussion: Theater protest set by activists for gay] by jimhinco (December 11<sup>th</sup>, 2008, 5:13 pm) #598987 ''Denver Post'' (archived from (April 14, 2015).</ref>}} and in Christianity, it goes back to the 2<sup>nd</sup>/3<sup>rd</sup> century Church father {{wpl|Tertullian||,}} who claimed that "the blood of the martyrs is seed", i.e., that the examples of martyrs dying for the Christian faith would convince others that Christians must be on to something that good.<ref>Tertullian, ''Apologeticus'', ch. 50.</ref> Tertullian also spawned the branch of history known as Christian {{wpl|martyrology||.}}<ref>[https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2014/02/rediscovering-the-martyrology Rediscovering the Martyrology] by George Weigel (2.26.14) ''First Things''.</ref>

Argument from personal certainty is trivially false: throughout history, many people have died in the service of provable [[lie]]s. More generally, if you consider the number of people who died for mutually contradictory ideas (e.g., from different [[religions]] or over doctrinal disputes), it is likely that most people who died for an idea were actually wrong. As this is a common argument, detailed refutations have been compiled.<ref>[https://religions.wiki/index.php?title=Would_someone_die_for_what_they_knew_was_a_lie%3F Would someone die for what they knew was a lie?] ''Religions Wiki''.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s First Law
*[[Big science]]
*[[Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed]]
*[[Confirmation bias]]
*[[Galileo gambit]]
*[[Hostile media effect]]
*[[Paranoia]]
*[[Persecution complex]]
*[[Science was wrong before]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{logfal}}

[[Category:Informal fallacies]]
[[Category:Pseudo-Latin phrases]]

Categories: Informal fallacies, Pseudo-Latin phrases