Appeal to Authority
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This page is part of the EvoWiki encyclopedia of fallacies. |
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Synonyms
- Argumentum ad verecundiam
- Ad verecundiam fallacy
- Appeal to Unqualified Authority
- Ipse Dixit
- Unqualified Source
- Irrelevant Authority
- Argument by Authority
- Appeal to Inappropriate Authority
- Fallacy of Argument to Veneration
- Fallacy of argumentum ad verecundiam
Explanation
A (fallacious) appeal to authority argument has the basic form:
1. A makes claim B; 2. there is something positive about A, 3. therefore claim B is true.
The first statement is called a 'factual claim' and is the pivot point of much debate. The last statement is referred to as an 'inferential claim' and represents the reasoning process. There are two types of inferential claim, explicit and implicit. Arguments that (fallaciously) rely on the objectionable aspects of the person for the truth of the conclusion are discussed under ad hominem.
An appeal to authority is a logical fallacy: authorities can be wrong, both in their own field and in other fields; therefore referencing authority does not automatically imply truth. However, referencing authority may carry a high enough probability of truth that it would be correct to base decisions on it.
An appeal to authority is only a reliable argument if:
- evidence is available to back up the point (it is better to use the evidence as argument rather than the authority, but sometimes this is not an option) and is known to the authority being referenced
- the authority is an expert, specifically in the field being discussed, and not merely popular, high-ranking or famous
- the authority is not obviously biased. It is important to note that if the authority is heavily biased, that does not make their claims false, only unreliable. See Circumstantial Ad Hominem.
- the authority is interpreted correctly, and not quoted out of context
- the authority is representative of the majority of experts the field. It is better to have at least a second opinion from another expert, than to go on what could be an unrepresentative sample.
- most importantly, the argument does not try to claim absolute truth based on authority
Category
Sub-Fallacies
- Appeal to Celebrity
- Professor of Nothing
- Honor by Association
- Invincible Authority
- Appeal to Novelty
- Appeal to Wealth
- Appeal to Tradition
- Appeal to Popularity
- Appeal to the Minority
External Links
Examples in creationist arguments
- Federal law (Santorum Amendment) supports teaching alternatives
- French scientists called Peking Man monkey-like
- Linnaeus was a creationist
- Lord Kelvin was a creationist
- Darwin recanted on his death bed
- Many current scientists reject evolution
- Many famous scientists were creationists
- The Turkish government officially recognized the site of Noah's Ark
- Bible claims inspiration
- Bible says the sun goes around the earth
- Genesis must be literal; later writers refer to it as fact
- Jesus refers to creation and flood as though they were literal
