Ad Populum By: Maria Metzger Devon Stuart Veronika Matthews
Definition: • 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. • A person falls prey to this fallacy if he accepts a claim as being true simply because most other people approve of the claim. The Nizkor Project. Nizkor, n. d. Web. 13 April 2011. http: //www. nizkor. org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-popularity. html
Universal Examples • "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. " The Nizkor Project. Nizkor, n. d. Web. 13 April 2011.
Explanation: • In the fallacy, Ad Populum, we believe something solely because others believe it, whether it is true or not. • In this example, the person is choosing to believe that gun control laws are okay because most people think they are okay, over the fact that personally they thought the laws looked a bit suspicious.
Universal Example • Everyone likes beautiful people, so buy Teeth-Brite(tm) toothpaste and become beautiful. Everyone will approve of your choice. Yoder, Brian. Appeal to Popularity. Goodart. N. d. Web. 23 April 2011.
Explanation • In this fallacy, people believe that the statement is true. They believe that they can only be beautiful if they buy Teeth. Brite toothpaste. They believe that if they don’t buy this toothpaste then no one will approve of them and they will also be ugly.
Ad Populum • Paris • “All innocent and Christian people are happy for the courts in Salem!” – Act 3, page 213
Explanation: – They, most of the village people, are convinced that the women are witches, therefore they are happy that they were being put to trial. – You see this when Paris makes the comment that all the innocent Christian people are happy for the courts.
Ad Populum • Goody Putnam, Putnam – “Mark it for a sign, mark it!” – “That is a notorious sign of witchcraft afoot Goody Nurse, a prodigious sign!” – Pg 177 and 178, Act 1,
Explanation: – Downstairs they started to sing a psalm, upstairs Betty starts to scream. This convinces Goody Putnam that it is a sign of the devil. Once Goody Putnam is convinced, Mr. Putnam also starts to believe. Once Both Putnam's are convinced, Paris starts to believe and from there it spirals out of control.
Ad Populum • Hawthorne’s Voice • “Why do you hurt these children? ” – Page 207, Act 3,
Explanation: – Hawthorne and everyone else believes that these people are witches and are hurting these children. – All it took was for a few influential people to believe that they were witches, and then soon the rest of the village is believing too because they don’t want to be left out.
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