The traditional informal fallacy of argumentum ad populum is standardly characterized as the fallacy committed by directing an emotional appeal to the feelings or enthusiasms of "the gallery" or "the people" to win assent to an argument not adequately sup- ported by proper evidence.

What type of fallacy is ad Populum?

Description. Argumentum ad populum is a type of informal fallacy, specifically a fallacy of relevance, and is similar to an argument from authority (argumentum ad verecundiam).

Why would an ad Populum argument be used when writing an essay?

The ad populum appeal can be a correct inductive argument when what most persons or an exclusive group or persons believe is relevant and provides acceptable evidence for what is true.