Bandwagon Fallacy

Amir: Hey man, Dont you know that Backstreet Boys are the best band in the whole world
Karim: Are you sure,Backstreet Boys are the lamest, they dont play their own instruments,they cant sing and dont write their own songs.
Amir: I guess ur right Karim,they arent the best band in the whole world

The bandwagon fallacy is committed by arguments that appeal to the growing popularity of an idea as a reason for accepting it as true. They take the mere fact that an idea suddenly attracting adherents as a reason for us to join in with the trend and become adherents of the idea ourselves.

This is a fallacy because there are many other features of ideas than truth that can lead to a rapid increase in popularity. Peer pressure, tangible benefits, or even mass stupidity could lead to a false idea being adopted by lots of people. A rise in the popularity of an idea, then, is no guarantee of its truth.

The bandwagon fallacy is closely related to the appeal to popularity; the difference between the two is that the bandwagon fallacy places an emphasis on current fads and trends, on the growing support for an idea, whereas the appeal to popularity does not.

Posted By
Amir Hisyam