Appeal to Popular Opinion

Appeal to Popular Opinion, Volume 1, is a rigorous examination of the ad populum argument within the fields of philosophy and logic. Douglas Walton challenges the traditional view that arguments based on majority opinion are always fallacious. By analyzing the intersection of rhetoric and political decision-making, the author argues that certain appeals to commonly accepted presumptions can serve as a rational standard for resolving personal and political issues.

This work of criticism provides a systematic framework to evaluate eleven distinct subtypes of popular opinion arguments. Walton contrasts classical Greek rhetoric with contemporary logic textbooks to clarify the difference between appeals to prejudice and appeals to common knowledge. The text offers a pragmatic method for judging these argumentative tactics, making it a significant contribution to the study of logic and political discourse.