{"product_id":"appeal-to-popular-opinion-douglas-walton-9780271030173","title":"Appeal to Popular Opinion","description":"\u003cp\u003eArguments from popular opinion have long been regarded with suspicion, and in most logic textbooks the \u003ci\u003ead populum \u003c\/i\u003eargument is classified as a fallacy. Douglas Walton now asks whether this negative evaluation is always justified, particularly in a democratic system where decisions are based on majority opinion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this insightful book, Walton maintains that there is a genuine type of argumentation based on commonly accepted opinions and presumptions that should represent a standard of rational decision-making on important issues, especially those of a personal and political nature. He shows how to judge arguments based on appeals to popular opinion in a more balanced way, identifying eleven subtypes of the \u003ci\u003ead populum\u003c\/i\u003e argument and providing a pragmatic method to evaluate each of these types.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWalton has examined dozens of logic texts and drawn on a wide range of literature to reveal the many uses and misuses of popular opinion. He contrasts the traditional discussion of \u003ci\u003ead populum \u003c\/i\u003ein Greek rhetoric with recent textbook treatment, then contrasts these contemporary views with his own dialectical perspective in order to clarify often confused appeals to prejudice and appeals to common knowledge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough appeal to popular opinion has long been a powerful argumentative tactic, this is the first book to systematically describe and evaluate it as a well-defined type of argument with its own special characteristics. It enables us to deal with these often deceptive arguments in a critically balanced way and makes an original contribution to an important strand of rhetoric.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Douglas Walton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0271030178\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780271030173\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Penn State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/15\/1998\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.99lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.68d","brand":"Douglas Walton","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47930645381375,"sku":"9780271030173","price":35.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_84823b83-a684-4342-8560-9c5fbcb1f8b3.jpg?v=1766343276","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/appeal-to-popular-opinion-douglas-walton-9780271030173","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}