Argumentum ad lazarum

Appeal to poverty or Argumentum ad lazarum is the fallacy that somebody is better, wiser, or more likely to be correct because they are poor.

Examples

• "Mother Teresa's self-imposed poverty helped her lead a virtuous life helping others."
• "Only if you give up the true distractions of today's materialistic society can you find God's true wisdom."

Counterarguments

It should be self-evident that the poor aren't necessarily good and that the rich aren't necessarily evil. Some rich people use their fortune and prestige to support charities and benefit humanity; some poor people become common miscreants (and in exceptional cases, such as Mother Teresa's, they abuse powers that aren't tied to money). Whether any special knowledge or wisdom arises from poverty or the asceticism of certain religious followers has yet to be demonstrated.

See Also

• Appeal to wealth

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