{"id":834,"date":"2024-04-12T14:42:58","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T12:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/?page_id=834"},"modified":"2024-04-12T14:53:18","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T12:53:18","slug":"argumentum-ad-populum","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/cours-de-methodologie\/argumentum-ad-populum\/","title":{"rendered":"Argumentum ad populum or Populist error"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"834\" class=\"elementor elementor-834\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-97f5db5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"97f5db5\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column 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Science<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-101dbee elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"101dbee\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-22490c7\" data-id=\"22490c7\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bbb459a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bbb459a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Page contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Contents\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/cours-de-methodologie\/argumentum-ad-populum\/#Argumentum_ad_populum\" >Argumentum ad populum<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/cours-de-methodologie\/argumentum-ad-populum\/#Cause\" >Cause<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/cours-de-methodologie\/argumentum-ad-populum\/#Comment_eviter_les_arguments_populistes\" >How to avoid populist arguments<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Argumentum_ad_populum\"><\/span>Argumentum ad populum<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ef191f3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ef191f3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-14edf4f\" data-id=\"14edf4f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c8556a2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c8556a2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Argumentum ad populum (ad populum error, reason of the majority, reason of the people, appeal to the masses, appeal to the majority, appeal to beliefs, argument from consensus, argument from universal consent, demagogic argument, populist argument or error of the people) refers to the claim that something is true simply because it is what a large number of people believe. In other words, if many people believe something to be true, then it must be true.<\/p><p>The ad populum fallacy is a logical fallacy. More precisely, this is an informal fallacy of relevance, as no relevant reason is given to support this claim.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-49 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/logo_sc-150x150.png\" alt=\"Argumentum ad populum\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/logo_sc-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/logo_sc-70x70.png 70w, https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/logo_sc-125x125.png 125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-eab22b0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"eab22b0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9782404\" data-id=\"9782404\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d496b2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4d496b2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cause\"><\/span>Cause<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2d8ed00 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2d8ed00\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6233605\" data-id=\"6233605\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f68449 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f68449\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>An ad populum fallacy occurs when we use an &quot;argumentum ad populum&quot; (from the Latin &quot;argument to the people&quot;), meaning we appeal to what most people think, like, or believe, instead of justifying our position by evidence.<\/p><p>When we try to persuade someone of our ideas, preferences, or beliefs, it is often tempting to simply pretend that the majority of people agree with us. Words that imply that many people believe, do, or buy something (such as &quot;the majority,&quot; &quot;many,&quot; or &quot;most&quot;) are typical of this fallacy.<\/p><p>However, this type of argument is fallacious. Even if this statement is true, popularity alone is not a sufficient reason to accept it as such. The fact that most people favor this claim is not an adequate substitute for actual evidence (e.g., for centuries people believed that Earth was the center of the solar system, but this ultimately turned out to be true). fake).<\/p><p>There are three main variations of the ad populum fallacy: Bandwagon fallacy, Snobbish appeal, Appeal to tradition.<\/p><p>The bandwagon fallacy (or bandwagon calling) is the primary form of ad populum fallacy and occurs when someone maintains that a belief or action is correct because the majority of people support it. Such arguments take advantage of the \u201cripple effect,\u201d a cognitive bias that causes people to adopt the behaviors or opinions of others because of the desire to fit in and be liked.<\/p><p>In the snob appeal or appeal to elitism, the arguer appeals to people&#039;s desire to be part of an exclusive or elite group. Instead of stating that \u201ceveryone does it,\u201d the argument suggests that \u201call the best do it.\u201d The snob appeal is often used in advertising.<\/p><p>The appeal to tradition (or appeal to common practice) asserts that a premise must be true or right because people have always believed or practiced it. Alternatively, he can claim that the premise has always worked in the past and will therefore always work in the future. This line of thinking confuses tradition with correctness without asking whether it is justified or relevant.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9ce7795 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9ce7795\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-91079b5\" data-id=\"91079b5\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b4c84c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7b4c84c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Comment_eviter_les_arguments_populistes\"><\/span>How to avoid populist arguments<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5e92149 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5e92149\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-db2d79d\" data-id=\"db2d79d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f9397e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2f9397e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>It is important to remember that ad populum arguments are not always fallacious. When the majority&#039;s belief is relevant and constitutes acceptable evidence of what is true, an ad populum argument is perfectly legitimate.<\/p><p>This is the case when it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/cours-de-methodologie\/definir-les-questions-scientifiques\/\">questions<\/a> decided by majority (e.g. definition of words, jury verdicts or <a href=\"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/cours-de-methodologie\/parfaire-la-section-resultats\/\">result<\/a> of a political election). In such cases, the majority&#039;s belief may provide a reasonable basis for accepting the claim. For example, if a friend insists that &quot;magnanimous&quot; means &quot;great&quot;, and you respond that &quot;magnanimous&quot; means &quot;forgiving&quot; because the majority of dictionaries say so, your argument is not fallacious.<\/p><p>In general, to prevent an argument from becoming populist, it is possible to avoid personal attribution of the argument by referring to a paper of <a href=\"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/cours-de-methodologie\/\">research<\/a>. This way, the reader can learn more about your argument.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home page Data Science Argumentum ad populum Argumentum ad populum (ad populum error, reason of the majority, reason of the people, \u2026 <\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":47,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-834","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=834"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":846,"href":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/834\/revisions\/846"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guillaume-guerard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}