1 / 10

Everybody Knows…

Everybody Knows…. Beth Herold. Argumentum ad populum. Translates to : Appeal to the people “If many believe so, it is so”. About appeals to popularity. This fallacy is used when we urge somebody to accept a claim simple based on the grounds that all of most people believe it.

ataret
Download Presentation

Everybody Knows…

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Everybody Knows… Beth Herold

  2. Argumentum ad populum • Translates to : Appeal to the people • “If many believe so, it is so”

  3. About appeals to popularity • This fallacy is used when we urge somebody to accept a claim simple based on the grounds that all of most people believe it. • Just because most people believe in a God, this is not evidence that God exists. Likewise, if most people didn’t believe in God it wouldn’t be evidence that God didn’t exist. • The statement itself could be true or false but if you state it in this way then chances are it won’t lend any credibility to your argument. • In general, when “everyone” who thinks that X is true includes experts about X, then when they think is a good reason to accept X. • Ex. If you are in Boston and several Bostonians tell you that it is illegal to drink beer in their public parks, then you have some reason for think it is true • That being said, it would be incorrect to label as a fallacy any instance in which a person cites people’s belief to establish a point.

  4. Appeal to common practice • Trying to justify or defend an action or practice on the grounds that it is common; • “I shouldn’t get a speeding ticket because everybody drives over the limit” • Although, this could be used as a plea for equal treatment. If a person were to say: “I know this is wrong but it would be unfair single me out”

  5. Appeal to tradition • People do things because that’s the way things have always been done. • You cannot prove that a claim is legitimate on the basis of tradition. • For Example, Hazing in Fraternities • There has not been a defense for this practice that amount to anything more then an appeal to tradition.

  6. This could be compared to… • Groupthink – substituting pride of membership in a group for reason and deliberation in arriving at a position on an issue. • “As any red-blooded American patriot knows…”

  7. Example 1: • Bud: So, Here’s the deal. I’ll arrange to have your car ”stolen”, and we’ll split the proceeds from selling it to a disposer. Then you file a claim with your insurance company and collect from it. • Lou: Gee, this sounds seriously illegal and dangerous. • Bud: Illegal, yeah, but do you think this is the first time an insurance company ever had this happen? Why, they actually expect it – they even budget money exactly for this sort of thing.

  8. Example 2: • Former presidential chief of staff John Sanunu was charged with using Air Force executive jets for frequent trips to vacation spots. In a letter to a newsmagazine, a writer observed, “What’s all the fuss about? If everybody is doing it, why get excited about Sununu?” • Appeal to Common Practice

  9. Example 3: • “Smoking a cigarette takes seven minutes off you life”

More Related