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(or appeal to majority belief)
As a writer, you want to ensure that your readers will follow your arguments easily and find them convincing. To build sound arguments, you need to be aware of common errors (or fallacies) in logic and be careful to avoid them. There are many types of logical fallacies. In this article, we'll look at the appeal to majority belief, commonly called bandwagon.
In this error in logic, the writer claims that a conclusion is right because most people agree with it. The reasoning here is that if people in general believe something, it must be true. It is easy to see the flaw in this thinking—remember that in the time of Columbus, everyone believed the world was flat!
Examples:
- This product must be safe because a lot of people are using it.
- There is growing support for doctor-assisted suicide. Obviously we need to make it a legal option.
- There must be other life forms in the universe—if extraterrestrial life didn't exist, there wouldn't be so many people who believe in it.
Look critically at an argument before jumping on the bandwagon!
