Appeal: appeal to popularity
From Debate MELTDOWN: Worst Opponent Yet: Austin Peterson Libertarian Debate Vs Jay Dyer.
- #75857:51upheld Austin Peterson psogos: appeal to popularity (+1)
The council upheld the call: Austin Peterson gave away 1 point.
“Let's talk about what people give a shit about. Nobody cares about ancient…”
Diogenes: He answers the demand to justify his ethical standard by appealing to what the audience supposedly cares about, which has no bearing on whether the standard is justified.- Aristotle uphold: On the record: Austin's declared position is that he holds objective moral standards reachable through "triangulation" of evidence, yet when pressed to justify the stoic/Nicomachean grounding he had himself volunteered, he deflects to "what people give a shit about" rather than offering justification, continuing the evasive stretch begun at 57:36 and continuing to 58:22. The line substitutes an appeal to what the audience cares about for the actual justification Jay demanded, which has no bearing on whether the ethical standard is grounded; this fits appeal to popularity even though it overlaps with the dodge already credited at 57:36 in the same exchange.
- Socrates uphold: Read blind, found "dodge", on the same ledger as the callout. This continues the same refusal already noted at 57:36: Jay has asked Austin to justify the stoic/Nicomachean standard Austin himself invoked, and instead of answering, Austin deflects by claiming the topic is unpopular ("nobody cares about ancient [Greek ethics]") rather than giving the justification asked for.
- Plato uphold: On the record: Austin's position of record is that he holds objective-but-fallibly-known moral standards traceable to classical/natural-law literature; when Jay presses him to justify the specific standard (stoic/Nicomachean ethics) he invoked, this line deflects the justification demand by substituting audience popularity ("nobody cares") for an actual defense. The quote plainly substitutes "what people care about" for an answer to why the invoked ethical standard should be accepted, which is a textbook appeal to popularity; it is also part of the same dodge already flagged moments earlier, but the two labels can both correctly apply to overlapping conduct per the rubric.
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