The statement 'Majority belief (four out of five dentists recommend...)' exemplifies which device?

The statement 'Majority belief (four out of five dentists recommend...)' exemplifies which device?

• A. Ad hominem
• B. Stacking the deck
• C. Majority belief (four out of five dentists recommend...)
• D. Group dynamics

Answer: (C)

Taking advantage of social proof is the key idea here. The statement relies on a majority endorsement to seem trustworthy—four out of five dentists recommend it. This is a bandwagon appeal (ad populum): the belief is presented as credible because many people, or an authority group, endorse it, so you should accept it too without needing direct evidence. It leans on the authority of professionals to persuade rather than offering new data about the product’s effectiveness. This isn’t an ad hominem, which would attack a person; it isn’t stacking the deck, which would cherry-pick only favorable evidence; and it isn’t about group dynamics in a broader sense. So it’s the majority-belief device, a bandwagon appeal.

Taking advantage of social proof is the key idea here. The statement relies on a majority endorsement to seem trustworthy—four out of five dentists recommend it. This is a bandwagon appeal (ad populum): the belief is presented as credible because many people, or an authority group, endorse it, so you should accept it too without needing direct evidence. It leans on the authority of professionals to persuade rather than offering new data about the product’s effectiveness. This isn’t an ad hominem, which would attack a person; it isn’t stacking the deck, which would cherry-pick only favorable evidence; and it isn’t about group dynamics in a broader sense. So it’s the majority-belief device, a bandwagon appeal.