Appeal to popular opinion refers to a logical fallacy where a view or argument is accepted or rejected based on its popularity, rather than its merits. (Hardy et. al. (2015) You can either report the number of people who are supporting the stance, or oppose or defend the position on the basis of its popularity. Appeal to Popular Opinion can lead to poor judgements that are based more on popularity than its merits. It is especially true when unpopular arguments or stances are presented as if they were popular. Imagine someone who wants to raise taxes, but is afraid that the public will not support the idea. Although they might be able to appeal to the public by listing how many people favor tax increases it is still merit-based arguments. A person may attempt to argue against or defend the idea depending on how popular it is. But this argument would still be better than only noting its supporters.
The appeal to tradition fallacy can be illustrated by someone who claims that one action is better than another because they have done it that way before. (Hardy, et. al. (2015) Because tradition is not necessarily the best or most appropriate choice, this is an error. This argument is not supported by tradition. The presenter should support it with evidence. A person might claim they must work as a traditional doctor because it’s the only job available. This individual may also consider other career options and pursue a career in medicine. A regular job in medicine should be avoided if they do not have the qualifications. This is where the argument to the tradition fallacy proponent may have relied on anecdotal evidence, not logic.
Appeal to emotion can be a logic fallacy. It uses an emotional argument to convince a target audience that a particular position is valid. This argument appeals to extreme emotions such as love, fear or hatred to persuade an audience member to accept a particular perspective. Emotional arguments can be very powerful but not always rational. You might imagine that you’re trying to convince your parents to let you spend an evening with your friends. Your argument may be that you must go out to spend time with friends. This argument may not be logical, but it is more emotional than rational. While your appeal may convince parents, it may not be enough to make them feel comfortable letting you out.
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