Legitimacy from Effort

The arguer asserts that because a thing is the product of prolonged effort and/or intense work, that this gives weight to arguments linked to it.

This fallacy is related to Appeal to Emotion and involves a Non-Sequitur argument.

If you're a member of the group that made the effort, it's an appeal to pride. If you aren't, it's can be an appeal for sympathy. It's also an appeal against wanton destruction, thus it can be a guilt trip, and an appeal to fear the hyped-up risks of stopping.

In some contexts this is referred to as either:

1. Sunk costs. (Engineering)
2. Throwing good money after bad. (Investment)

Examples

I've spent years researching the details of how the Sun orbits around the Earth, so how dare you disrespect my efforts by questioning my assertions? I am right in every detail because I did the research.

We've spent so much time and money trying to help that authoritarian country become democratic, but now you claim it is delusional to keeping paying them billions every year? You're so wasteful.

The bridge is almost built. It has taken ten years and millions of dollars. So what if it goes to an uninhabited island that can't support human habitation? So what if the pillars were defectively made and will fail catastrophically? The money and effort prove it was worth it.

The spread of our religion was a great undertaking, requiring enormous effort by many people, not to mention numerous deaths of unbelievers. It doesn't matter if its foundational ideas are unproven claims and wishful thinking, nor even that our phophet was a lying criminal. The fact that the effort was made proves the religion is worthwhile, therefore we must continue with it and never question it.

Weaknesses

Just because an effort was made, requiring time and resources and even suffering, that mere fact does not automatically prove other claims that are not direct consequences.

You should point out that the claims do not follow automatically from the effort, the cost, the time spent etc.

The classic example is the pointless or wasteful project, the supporters of which make myriad claims to continue with it for emotional reasons. See the ending of the film The Maltese Falcon.

You can call into question whether corruption is involved. Boondoggles are increasingly common and anyone benefitting from them will emphasize that the effort already made justifies unrelated claims.

Realist's perspective

An effort, no matter how large or expensive, that is begun based on lies and which does not address and reject those lies will cause more harm than good and will probably do no good at all.

The more expensive that an effort is, in money or time or lives lost or misspent, the more urgent that it be stopped as soon as possible.

If a project is started badly or justified erroneously, then it will be more expensive if not impossible to complete successfully.

Lastly, just because a researcher has studied a bogus theory for years does not make that theory true nor the time well spent. Examples:

• Flat Earth theory
• Sun orbiting the Earth theory
• The official JFK lone shooter theory
• The official 9/11 being perpetrated by 19 Muslims theory
• Earth ruled by Lizard People theory