Bandwagon Fallacy

Etymology:

The name "bandwagon fallacy" comes from the phrase "jump on the bandwagon" or "climb on the bandwagon", a bandwagon being a wagon big enough to hold a band of musicians. In past political campaigns, candidates would ride a bandwagon through town, and people would show support for the candidate by climbing aboard the wagon. The phrase has come to refer to joining a cause because of its popularity.

Alias:

• Appeal to Popularity
• Argument by Consensus
• Argumentum ad Populum
• Authority of the Many

Form:

Idea I is popular.
Therefore, I is correct.

Example:

Everyone is selfish; everyone is doing what he believes will make himself happier. The recognition of that can take most of the sting out of accusations that you're being "selfish." Why should you feel guilty for seeking your own happiness when that's what everyone else is doing, too?

Source: Harry Browne, "The Unselfishness Trap", from How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World (1973).

Exposition:

The Bandwagon Fallacy is committed whenever one argues for an idea based upon an irrelevant appeal to its popularity.

Exposure:

Advertising is a rich source of Bandwagon arguments, with many products claiming to be "number 1" or "most popular", even though this is irrelevant to the product's merits.

Source:

S. Morris Engel, With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies (Fifth Edition) (St. Martin's, 1994), pp. 223-225.

Resource:

James B. Freeman, "The Appeal to Popularity and Presumption by Common Knowledge", in Fallacies: Classical and Contemporary Readings, edited by Hans V. Hanson and Robert C. Pinto (Penn State Press, 1995), pp. 265-273.