Ad populum fallacy: what it consists of, examples and how to combat it

In the field of study of logic, An argument is a series of premises whose truth supports a conclusion. So an argument is only valid when the truth of the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion. Thus, the latter is true to the extent that the premises that support it are true.

There are arguments that are not valid; However, they end up being accepted for different reasons, despite the fact that their conclusions are based on illogical premises. When these do not provide a basis for accepting a conclusion, the argument is said to be defective and, therefore, fallacious.

The ad populum fallacy

ad populum is a Latin phrase that means ‘to appeal to the public’. The fallacy consists of maintain that something has the nature of truth when it is accepted by public opinion, instead of appealing to logical reasons. The typical way of expressing it is very common in advertising: “the best seller…” or “everyone’s favorite…”. Just because it is a favorite does not mean it is a quality product.

The argument for this type of fallacy is often emotionally charged.. In this way, people’s emotions are taken advantage of to divert attention from the logical evidence relevant to the conclusion. Thus, appeal is a diversion fallacy rather than any type of deductive fallacy. The manipulation of emotions can affect critical and objective reasoning about the premises that have been proposed in the argument.

The fallacy ad populum It has the following logical scheme:

X, which is the majority, affirms that A is true. Therefore, A is true.

The arguments ad populum They are often used in populist speeches and also in everyday discussions with other people.. Likewise, they are used by politicians and the media to gain the favor of their public. Although it is not as powerful as the argument ad hominem, It becomes very solid when it is supported by a population study, poll or survey that “supports” it.

There are two types of arguments ad populum frequent: that of appeal to tradition and that of appeal to common practice. The first maintains that something is true because tradition validates it, for example: “this has always been done this way, therefore, it is this way.” The second appeal states that something is right because everyone does it that way.

Examples of the ad populum fallacy

Some expressions that exemplify this fallacy are the following:

“It has to be done this way because everyone does it that way.” “This law is not good because no country in the world has anything like it.” “The majority of voters are in favor of this law, therefore , it’s a good law.” “It must be a very good car, because there are many people who have bought it.” “Brand “They believe in life after death, therefore, it must exist.” “If the majority says that COVID-19 is a government strategy, then it has to be.” “Most people believe that The death penalty has an important deterrent effect. “To suggest otherwise is totally ridiculous.” “Tradition says that women are in charge of the home, therefore, they should be the ones who should be left to take care of the children.” “We are a leading brand in the market, millions of people say so.” “Use lotion B, the favorite of all women.” “You should switch to this new internet company, since it has the most users this year.”

In each of these examples, we see how an attempt is made to validate a conclusion based on the premise that the majority of people think so. Certainty is based on public opinion, which is what gives “legitimacy” to the premise.

How to combat this fallacy?

Confronting it directly can make people immediately defensive. Therefore, it must be demonstrated, in a delicate and subtle way, that The truth or falsity of a statement is independent of the number of people who believe it. . They can be beaten to statements such as:

“And if people jump off a bridge, do you jump off too?” “If fifty million people say something stupid, it’s still stupid.” “Millions of people smoke and that doesn’t make cigarettes healthy.”

To counter the use of a logical fallacy, first you have to Identify the flaw in the reasoning. Then you should point out and explain why it is a problem.. For example, consider a situation where someone claims that a certain product is quality because everyone is buying it. This fallacy ad populum It implies accepting that the product is good, since everyone buys it, but this is not necessarily true. One thing has nothing to do with the other.

Once the fallacy has been identified, it can be countered by explaining why its premises are erroneous or by presenting another argument, for example, you can say: “it is possible that everyone has that product because the producer has known how to sell it with relentless advertising, and not because it is of quality.” Examples can also be provided in which the hypothesis is not fulfilled. Thus, you can tell that for a long time people believed that the earth was flat and that it was the center of the universe, when now we know that is not the case. The opinion of the common people is not always the true reality.

To finish, although the fallacy ad populum It makes us believe that the propositions are true because many believe in it, the reality is that this is not the case. Public opinion makes mistakes and is not very good at providing critical and logical arguments. Have you ever applied an argument ad populum? How many times have you believed in something because everyone believes in it?

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