Originally posted by ivanhoeWhat's so funny? Why should I read any old thing that you post if you won't even meet me halfway and tell me how it is relevant to the topic at hand? What insight will it give me into your opinion on whether the church should ban gay priests?
..... you haven't even read it ! This makes things only worse for you ..... unbelievable ... Please, never ever claim you are a rational person. I would not be able to stop laughing ......... 🙄 😵 😀
Your friends are only adding to your trouble, Dear Doctor .... again a fallacy.
Fallacy: Appeal to Popularity
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Also Known as: Ad Populum
Description of Appeal to Popularity
The Appeal to Popularity has the following form:
Most people approve of X (have favorable emotions towards X).
Therefore X is true.
The basic idea is that a claim is accepted as being true simply because most people are favorably inclined towards the claim. More formally, the fact that most people have favorable emotions associated with the claim is substituted in place of actual evidence for the claim. A person falls prey to this fallacy if he accepts a claim as being true simply because most other people approve of the claim.
It is clearly fallacious to accept the approval of the majority as evidence for a claim. For example, suppose that a skilled speaker managed to get most people to absolutely love the claim that 1+1=3. It would still not be rational to accept this claim simply because most people approved of it. After all, mere approval is no substitute for a mathematical proof. At one time people approved of claims such as "the world is flat", "humans cannot survive at speeds greater than 25 miles per hour", "the sun revolves around the earth" but all these claims turned out to be false.
This sort of "reasoning" is quite common and can be quite an effective persusasive device. Since most humans tend to conform with the views of the majority, convincing a person that the majority approves of a claim is often an effective way to get him to accept it. Advertisers often use this tactic when they attempt to sell products by claiming that everyone uses and loves their products. In such cases they hope that people will accept the (purported) approval of others as a good reason to buy the product.
This fallacy is vaguely similar to such fallacies as Appeal to Belief and Appeal to Common Practice. However, in the case of an Ad Populum the appeal is to the fact that most people approve of a claim. In the case of an Appeal to Belief, the appeal is to the fact that most people believe a claim. In the case of an Appeal to Common Practice, the appeal is to the fact that many people take the action in question.
This fallacy is closely related to the Appeal to Emotion fallacy, as discussed in the entry for that fallacy.
Examples of Appeal to Popularity
"My fellow Americans...there has been some talk that the government is overstepping its bounds by allowing police to enter peoples' homes without the warrants traditionally required by the Constitution. However, these are dangerous times and dangerous times require appropriate actions. I have in my office thousands of letters from people who let me know, in no uncertain terms, that they heartily endorse the war against crime in these United States. Because of this overwhelming approval, it is evident that the police are doing the right thing."
"I read the other day that most people really like the new gun control laws. I was sort of suspicious of them, but I guess if most people like them, then they must be okay."
Jill and Jane have some concerns that the rules their sorority has set are racist in character. Since Jill is a decent person, she brings her concerns up in the next meeting. The president of the sorority assures her that there is nothing wrong with the rules, since the majority of the sisters like them. Jane accepts this ruling but Jill decides to leave the sorority.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-popularity.html
Originally posted by ivanhoeI made no appeal to popularity. I never claimed the article was crap because many people think it is crap. I never even said that many people think it is crap. The fact that it is crap is independent of Skipper's, Bosse's, Nemesio's and presumably everybody but yours and LH's finding that it is crap.
Your friends are only adding to your trouble, Dear Doctor .... again a fallacy.
Fallacy: Appeal to Popularity
-
Also Known as: Ad Populum
Description of Appeal to Popularity
The Appeal to Popularity has the following form:
Most people approve of X (have favorable emotions towards X).
Therefore X is true.
The basic idea is that a clai ...[text shortened]... des to leave the sorority.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-popularity.html
Originally posted by DoctorScribbles..... changing the subject .... confusing the issue, innuendo ... it simply has no end. Please reread:
What's so funny? Why should I read any old thing that you post if you won't even meet me halfway and tell me how it is relevant to the topic at hand? What insight will it give me into your opinion on whether the church should ban gay priests?
http://www.redhotpawn.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=30123&page=3
..... and guess what ?
Originally posted by ivanhoeI guess your post was intended to send me on an enlightening quest. I declined to go. Or more accurately, I started to go, and then realized that you had sent me on a dark rather than enlightening path. So what? Wasn't your invitation a red herring to the matter under discussion?
..... changing the subject .... confusing the issue, innuendo ... it simply has no end. Please reread:
http://www.redhotpawn.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=30123&page=3
..... and guess what ?
Does the article refute my claim about the church's burning?
Originally posted by DoctorScribblesDear Doctor, please do not forget to simply read: YOUR FRIENDS are adding to your trouble. I didn't claim you made an appeal to popularity. YOUR FRIENDS are ..... of course implicitely.
I made no appeal to popularity. I never claimed the article was crap because many people think it is crap. I never even said that many people think it is crap. The fact that it is crap is independent of Skipper's, Bosse's, Nemesio's and presumably everybody but yours and LH's finding that it is crap.
Originally posted by ivanhoeWhat trouble of mine? If they commit the fallacy of appeal to popularity, they are the ones who deserve to face your wrath, not me. They cause me no trouble.
Dear Doctor, please do not forget to simply read: YOUR FRIENDS are adding to your trouble. I didn't claim you made an appeal to popularity. YOUR FRIENDS are ..... of course implicitely.