WEAK ANALOGY
FALLACIOUS APPEAL TO
AUTHORITY
FALLACIOUS APPEAL TO
POPULARITY
Nicole Szmygielski
WEAK ANALOGY
Sometimes called a False Analogy
 “…a weak argument based on debatable or
unimportant similarities between two or more
things.”



Analogy of two things without being in common.
The analogy is too weak to make sense.
EXAMPLES

“You are such a Grammar Nazi every time you
read over my homework.”


Comparing being meticulous with English grammar
to being a German Nazi.
“If you knife someone, you’ll be charged with
murder. So if my surgeon kills me, he’ll be
accused of murder.”

A surgeon’s error is accidental, but usually
made in an attempt to save a life.
FALLACIOUS APPEAL TO AUTHORITY

When one “…tries to support a conclusion by
offering as evidence the opinion of a nonauthoritative source.”
Using someone’s credibility as evidence.
 Someone is trained in a field (so to speak), therefore,
s/he must be very knowledgeable in many fields.

EXAMPLES

“My doctor said I should trade my SUV for a
more fuel-efficient car. He’s a doctor, he knows
what’s best, so I’ll do that.”


A doctor is usually only educated in Medical.
“My professor said that the solstice starts on
September first. Get your facts straight!”

The autumn equinox is on the first day of fall, usually
Sept. 22 or Sept. 23.
FALLACIOUS APPEAL TO POPULARITY
Sometimes called Fallacious Appeal to Common
Belief.
 “Happens when a speaker or writer treats an
issue that cannot be settled by public opinion as
if it can.”

“Everybody “ phrases.
 Because of popular vote, it is treated as truth.

EXAMPLES



“Everybody knows that meat is bad for you. You should go
vegetarian.”
 The fact of whether eating meat is bad cannot be
determined by popular vote.
“Small cars give the best gas mileage. It’s common fact.”
 Regardless of what most people believe, this statement
cannot be determined without evidence.
Classic example: 500 years ago, it was common knowledge
that the Earth was the center of the universe. When
Galileo discovered otherwise, he was sentenced to a lifelong house arrest for “heresy”.
FALLACIOUS APPEAL TO COMMON
PRACTICE

Fallacious Appeal to Tradition

Tradition justifies a practice

Not wanting to change company policy because “it’s
been like this since the company started. It worked
before, it works now, so it’ll always work.”
BANDWAGON FALLACY
“Jumping on the Bandwagon”
 Humans are naturally social and wanting to be a
part of something.

“You shouldn’t shop at Kmart. Nobody shops at
Kmart anymore.”
 “Gauges are getting super popular.
You’ll be the outcast if you don’t get them.”

SIMILAR FALLACIES

Sometimes, popular belief can be used as
evidence.


Asking locals at a golf club whether or not you need a
membership to golf.
Bandwagon calls to join the group, but Appeal to
Popularity creates evidence with “everybody”
statements.
REFERENCES

Moore, B. N., Parker, R. (2014). Critical
Thinking. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.