Reply #35: Yeah, that would be me. [View All]

Appeal to Misleading Authority

Alias:
Appeal to Authority
Argument from Authority
Argumentum ad Verecundiam
("Argument from respect/modesty", Latin)
Ipse Dixit ("He, himself, said it", Latin)

Type: Genetic Fallacy

Form:
Authority A believes that P is true.
Therefore, P is true...

Exposition:
We must often rely upon expert opinion when drawing conclusions about technical matters where we lack the time or expertise to form an informed opinion. For instance, those of us who are not physicians usually rely upon those who are when making medical decisions, and we are not wrong to do so. There are, however, four major ways in which such arguments can go wrong:

An appeal to authority may be inappropriate in a couple of ways:

It is unnecessary. If a question can be answered by observation or calculation, an argument from authority is not needed...

...The "authority" cited is not an expert on the issue, that is, the person who supplies the opinion is not an expert at all, or is one, but in an unrelated area. The now-classic example is the old television commercial which began: "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV...." The actor then proceeded to recommend a brand of medicine...