Appeal to pity (argumentum ad misericordiam)

Biological Parallel

Cuckoo chicks produce exaggerated begging calls that mimic an entire nest of host chicks, exploiting parental provisioning instincts calibrated to feeding effort. The host birds respond to the supernormal stimulus despite the logical absurdity (one chick can't need that much food). Pity appeals exploit similar parental care circuits—suffering signals trigger resource allocation reflexes that evolved before cognitive override mechanisms. The appeal works because compassion responses predate and outcompete deliberative reasoning.