Question #583

Read all other threads but still feel confused about "appeals to popularity"

Started by Shula · started 2023-08-20 22:25 · last activity 2023-08-24 00:18 · 1 reply

Hi there, I read all the existing threads and the responses from the instructors mostly made lots of sense to me. However, I don't understand why D is correct in terms of "appeals to popularity" is flawed reasoning. In a democratic society, I assume that the authority needs to listen to the general citizens who don't have expertise, even if their proposal or objection is not the best for all. Isn't it how the US works today? Ordinary citizens can petition, and sometimes the government listens to the petitions regardless of the expertise of those who petition. Thank you!

Replies

  1. Emil-Kunkin · 2023-08-24 00:18

    Hi, if I tried hard enough, I could probably get 20,000 people to sign a petition to nuke the city of Dallas. This does not make nuking Dallas a good idea, nor does it constitute good reason for considering nuking Dallas. When it comes to weird specialized topics like dredge spoils for a harbor, the opinions of 20000 random people really doesn't mean that much. Maybe if this represents half the population it merits contention, but we simply have no idea. I would certainly trust a few people who understand dredging over 20000 people who, like me, probably have no clue what it means.

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