AD POPULUM FALLACY: WHAT IT CONSISTS OF AND EXAMPLES - PHILOSOPHY - 2025

The ad populum fallacy consists of appealing to the popularity of an argument to conclude that it is true for this reason alone, without reviewing its content. It is also known as argumentum ad populum, which is Latin for "argument for people."

It is a kind of logical fallacy that happens when something is considered in terms of true or good, just because it is popular. Certainly, many popular arguments or notions are true because they belong to so-called popular wisdom.

However, its validity is not a function of its popularity, but of its proven acceptance by the majority over time. The popularity fallacy is the complete opposite of the minority appeal. The argument is based on the fact that most or all people support it.

Although something is very persuasive and, in a way, it may be true, it is not always true. It is attractive because it alludes to popular sentiment and the idea of ​​democracy, in which the majority is always right. Sometimes this fallacy is confused with the ad vericundiam fallacy (appeal to authority) and the bandwagon fallacy (fashion effect).

Examples of these types of fallacious arguments are found daily in television and the advertising industry. The emotions that the majority arouse is appealed to for the marketing of goods and services. For example: “Have you tried Ace, the unsurpassed clean white that everyone prefers? That waits?".

What is the ad populum fallacy?

This type of argument belongs to the category of informal or non-formal logical fallacies, of the subgenre of relevance fallacies.

To this subgroup also belong the fallacies ad verecundiam (appeal to authority), ad hominem (against the person) and the bandwagon fallacy.

Some authors link the ad populum fallacy with the snob appeal fallacy, which appeals to the opinion that an elite or a select group of society has on an issue, but does not necessarily represent or have authority.

The bandwagon fallacy is also considered to be one of its variants, although other authors prefer to treat them separately.

This is one of the fallacies preferred by advertising, which bases many of its content and slogans on this type of argument because of the empathy they create.

Employment in advertising

The ad populum fallacy is seductive because it manipulates people's desire for belonging, security, and seeking consensus. Political leaders use this discursive device to manipulate audiences.

The people most susceptible to being influenced are those insecure people who can be made to feel guilty for not supporting the judgment of the majority. It also works in reverse: people's desire to feel strong by belonging to the majority group is manipulated.

For example, the following advertising pieces started from the majority principle:

- "Join the Pepsi People Feel Free" (1970)

- «Join the Pepsi generation» (1980s')

- 'Sony. Ask anyone". (1970)

The basis for supporting the ad populum fallacy is based on the premise that the majority is almost always right. It is believed that the chances of success of a large number of people is higher compared to a minority or a single individual.

The other psychological element that underlies this type of argument is that people tend to stick to the opinion of the majority to avoid conflict. Peer or societal pressure causes many people to renounce their own opinion to appear "normal."

In politics, it is known that there are voters who wait until the last moment to make their voting decision. They prefer to join the safe candidate: it is the so-called winner bet.

The problem with this approach is that majorities also tend to make mistakes and make bad decisions. Being the majority does not imply that they have the truth. The distinction that must be made is about the relevance of the premises studied, in order to reach a certain conclusion.

Agreeing with so-called public opinion does not necessarily lead to the truth, nor is it a sign of error to contradict the opinion of the majority. In both cases, if the person starts from any of these beliefs, he is appealing to this fallacy.

Other names for this fallacy

In addition to the appeal to popularity, the ad populum fallacy receives other names:

- Appeal to numbers (argumentum ad numerum).

- Democratic fallacy.

- Appeal to the majority.

- Gentium consensus.

- Appeal to mass opinion.

- Argument by consensus.

- Appeal to popular prejudice or popular wisdom.

- Appeal to the gallery.

- Appeal to the mafia.

- Common belief.

- Authority of the many.

Fair use of the ad populum argument

There are times when the use of this resource is legitimate and does not mean in any way a form of manipulation.

Democratic systems

Democratic systems make use of the majority to make decisions. In society and groups, consensus or majority opinions are required to approve or disapprove a subject. It is trusted that the qualified opinion of the majority will better guide the decision.

Science

Something similar happens in science; the so-called scientific consensus, which is not the same as just any majority opinion. The difference in the scientific consensus is that it is based on studies and the scientific method even though it does not gather all opinions.

Furthermore, scientific claims are always relative and provisional truths, never definitive: one demonstrable scientific argument replaces another.

That is, the consensus does not derive from blindly believing in what the authority says, but rather on criteria formed from careful reviews and criticisms of the scientific community.

On the other hand, the scientific consensus does not pretend to be the absolute truth but rather a contribution to the truth.

Examples of ad populum fallacies

This fallacy has the following form:

X is popular.

Everything popular is true.

Therefore, X is true.

Example 1

"The gods must exist, because each culture has its own or believes in the existence of a superior being."

According to a strictly logical and objective criterion, there is no scientific evidence to support the argument; just a popular belief.

Example 2

"Support for the death penalty and castration by the majority of our Indonesian citizens indicates that they are morally correct"

A matter as delicate as this cannot be dealt with only with the opinion of the majority of a country without taking into account universal human rights. Furthermore, it would be necessary to review how this type of law was adopted.

Example 3

"You must switch to channel 8, which is the channel with the highest audience this year."

The fact that it is the most watched channel does not imply that it is the best channel for a person, regardless of their tastes, needs and culture. Such an approach, apart from being misleading, is highly subjective because it starts from a false premise.

Example 4

“The movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the best movie of all time. Never has another movie raised as much money as this one. "

One thing is a blockbuster film and another is that it is better than one or the other, because the classification criteria vary. Here is the question: "Better for what?"

References

1. Argumentum ad populum. Retrieved March 11, 2018 from rationalwiki.org
2. Fallacy ad populum. Consulted from skepdic.com
3. Fallacies Fallacy ad populum. Consulted from iep.utm.edu
4. Fallacies. Consulted from plato.stanford.edu
5. Types of Logical Fallacies. Consulted of examples.yourdictionary.com