Bandwagon
The fallacy of bandwagon says, 'But everyone is doing it.' This fallacy appeal to the popularity of something as a means of validating it.
Example of Bandwagon
- A recent study shows 8 out of 10 doctors say that acupuncture is an effective therapy, therefore it must be true since 8 out of 10 doctors can't be wrong!
Agreement among experts does not necessarily lead to a true outcome. - Everyone else is going to attend a four-year university, so I am going to do the same instead of taking classes at a local community college.
Doing something because everyone else is doing it is not a logically valid reason for taking part in something.
Books About Logical Fallacies
A few books to help you get a real handle on logical fallacies.
BandwagonExtended Explanation
The Bandwagon Fallacy, also known as the Appeal to Common Belief, is a logical fallacy that is based on the assumption that because something is popular, it must be true or correct. The Bandwagon Fallacy is an informal fallacy, meaning that it is not a strict logical argument and thus cannot be proven or disproven. This fallacy is often seen in politics, advertising, and other areas of life where it is used to influence the beliefs of a large group of people.
The premise of the Bandwagon Fallacy is that if a certain idea is popular, then it must be true. This is based on the assumption that if a large number of people believe something, then it must be true. This ignores the fact that the majority of people may be wrong, and also ignores any evidence or reasoning that may be used to contradict the popular belief.
The Bandwagon Fallacy is a type of persuasive argument, and is often used to convince people to accept a certain point of view without providing any evidence or sound reasoning. This type of persuasion is dangerous, as it can lead people to believe something without really examining the evidence or considering alternative viewpoints.
The Bandwagon Fallacy is often used in advertising, as companies try to convince people to buy their products by claiming that they are popular. They will often point to surveys or polls that show that their product is liked by many people, even though the surveys may not be accurate or relevant. In politics, the Bandwagon Fallacy is often used to convince people to vote for a certain candidate, even though there may be no evidence to support their claims.
In conclusion, the Bandwagon Fallacy is a logical fallacy that is based on the assumption that something is true simply because it is popular. This fallacy is dangerous, as it can lead people to believe something without considering any evidence or alternative viewpoints. Therefore, it is important to be aware of this fallacy and to be cautious when presented with any arguments that rely on popularity as evidence.