Appeal to the People, or Argumentum ad populum, is a very similar fallacy to the previously featured Bandwagon. Both appeal to popularity. The difference being that Bandwagon appeals to popularity as evidence of quality (it attempts to shape opinion), whereas Appeal to the People appeals to popularity as evidence of authority (it attempts to “prove” fact). While that seems clear, the differences can be very subtle.
Appeal to the People seeks to prove the point by citing a majority of people as a basis of authority. It surmises that truth is reached by consensus.
Appeal to the People is often cited as a basis for morality by moral relativists. When we reject God, and the scriptures that speak of Him, we reject the moral values that He commands. As a result, we must come up with another basis for morality. One of those bases is cultural consensus. We don't allow citizens to kill each other because society has decided that it's in our best interest not to kill each other. While the conclusion may be correct, that killing is wrong, the appeal to the authority of society is fallacious. As an example of where this thinking breaks down, just look to Nazi Germany, which concluded that killing Jews, Gypsies, and other “undesirables” was perfectly acceptable. If the relativist is correct that society determines morality, we have no reason to negatively judge the Nazis for the holocaust.
The Appeal to the People fallacy is also often used in regards to religion. Roman Catholics will say that they are the true Church because there are more Catholics than any other denomination (though Catholicism isn't a denomination, but a religion unto itself, but that is a topic for another day). If Catholics, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians are lumped together, Christianity is the most popular religion on Earth. It may be the truth, but not because of its numbers. If this were the case, Christianity would have died off from the beginning because it was the least popular at one time.
Truth is not dependent upon consensus, but rather it is self evident. To deny this is to fall victim to the Appeal to the People fallacy.
Next lesson: Argument from Ignorance
