Quote:
Originally Posted by BucEyedPea
No, appeal to authority is a logical fallacy that applies to debates. We're talking about what is popular based on personal opinion of millions in a market not some expert. Not to mention that not all appeals to an authority are invalid...sometimes we have no choice but to use experts since we don't all possess all knowledge in all areas. Even courts of law use experts.
You're mixing categories of things here which is illogical. If a show is well liked, it will have high ratings. That attracts advertisers willing to shell out big bucks. That's the measure of success that is used. Therefore, the actors can demand what the market will bear. It just doesn't mean it will appeal to everyone. That's where you come in. Your personal preference versus a large segment of the market that makes it successful. They are all opinions of viewers though—not some authority.
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In argumentation theory, an argumentum ad populum (Latin for "appeal to the people") is a fallacious argument that concludes a proposition to be true because many or most people believe it. In other words, the basic idea of the argument is: "If many believe so, it is so."
Switch "appeal to authority" with "appeal to the people". In terms of fallacies, they are essentially synonymous.