Bad Appeal to Common Belief (or practice)
If (almost) everyone else (in this group) believes it (or does it), then it's true (good to do).
This fallacy means that just because the majority of people in a group believe something is right, then it's probably true. The majority may be right about their argument, but their argument is not always true. Just because a lot of people think it's true, doesn't necessarily mean it is. Some people are afraid of saying the wrong thing or going against what other people think which is why they might side with the majority more often than not.
An example of this is when I was in elementary school. My teacher asked the class a question and everyone was supposed to raise their hands to what they thought the correct answer was. Unfortunately for me, I did not know the answer. My teacher then read off the choices. For one of them, a lot of my classmates raised their hands. I assumed that that had to be the right answer, so I raised my hand as well. It turned out that I and a lot of my other classmates were wrong. Not only did I feel stupid for going with what everyone thought, but the people that did get it right got a prize.
I really liked your example...it made me think of a time when I did the same.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago, I went to a quick get-rich seminar. I listened to all the different ways I could make a lot of money. I, along with many others, ended up purchasing a $1200.00 case with instructions and videos on how to purchase tax liens from 48 of the 50 states. As I began my adventure, I found that it was very difficult. The only people that made a lot of money were the people that sold us those cases.
I could have kicked my self for believing this fallacy.