Concept · Cognitive Bias: Informal fallacies of presumption
Special pleading
Origin: Traditional rhetoric
Biological Parallel
Brood parasites like cuckoos demand special pleading: they claim the benefits of parenthood (offspring survival) while exempting themselves from its costs (feeding, protection). Host birds like reed warblers pay the price—raising cuckoo chicks that outcompete their own. Yet hosts evolved defenses: egg rejection, chick recognition, mobbing. In evolutionary systems, special pleading triggers counter-adaptations. Organisms that claim exemptions without justification face cheater detection mechanisms. The free lunch doesn't exist; it just shifts costs to others who eventually stop paying.