Argumentum ad lazarum

Argumentum ad lazarum or appeal to poverty is the informal fallacy of thinking a conclusion is correct solely because the speaker is poor, or it is incorrect because the speaker is rich. It is named after Lazarus, a beggar in a New Testament parable who receives his reward in the afterlife.

This is popularly exploited as the statement, "Poor, but honest."

The opposite is the argumentum ad crumenam.

Examples

• Family farms are struggling to get by so when they say we need to protect them, they must be on to something.
• The homeless tell us it's hard to find housing. Thus it must be.
• The monks have forsworn all material possessions. They must have achieved enlightenment.
• All you need to know about the civil war in that country is that the rebels live in mud huts, while the general who sends troops against them sits in a luxurious, air-conditioned office.

References

• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – Fallacies
• Philosophical Society – logical fallacies