argumentum ad populum

English

Etymology

Latin: argūmentum (“argument”, “proof”) + ad (“to”, “toward”) + populum (accusative singular of populus, “people”, “nation”) ≈ “appeal to the people”

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ärgyo͞omĕnʹtəm ăd pŏʹpyo͝oləm, IPA^(key): /ɑːɡjuːˈmɛntəm æd ˈpɒpjʊləm/

Noun

argumentum ad populum (plural argumenta ad populum)

1. (rhetoric) A fallacious argument that concludes a proposition to be true because many or all people believe it; it alleges that “if many believe so, it is so”.
   • 2001, Martin Reisigl, Ruth Wodak, Discourse and Discrimination: Rhetorics of Racism and Antisemitism‎, page 166:

     The appeals to the public were also expressed differently: that is to say, much less by fallacious argumenta ad populum that played on the fears of the addressees, than by an appeal to rational insights, humanity and democracy.

Synonyms

• (“if many believe so, it is so”): argumentum ad numerum, bandwagon fallacy

Translations

fallacious argument

Tagalog: katwirang umaantig sa sambayanan

Further reading

• https://www.logicalfallacies.org/argumentum-ad-populum.html