Argument from Authority Fallacy

This blogger has encountered more than a few sources supporting theism or alternative medicine through the use of the argument from authority.

What is the "argument from authority"? To summarize the Nizkor Project - - -

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The argument from authority (or the appeal to authority) can be stated as follows:

1. Person A is (claimed to be) an authority on subject S
2. Person A makes claim C about subject S
3. Therefore, C is true.

This fallacy is committed when the person in question is NOT a legitimate authority on the subject. The claim could be true, but the fact that an unqualified person made the claim does not provide any rational reason to accept the claim as true. Since people have a tendency to believe authorities, this fallacy is fairly common.

Since this sort of reasoning is fallacious only when the person is not a legitimate authority in a particular context, it is necessary to provide some acceptable standards of assessment. The following standards are widely accepted:

1. The person has sufficient expertise in the subject matter in question.
2. The claim being made by the person is within his/her area of expertise.
3. There is an adequate degree of agreement among the other experts in the subject in question.
4. The person in question is not significantly biased.
5. The area of expertise is a legitimate area or discipline.
6. The authority in question must be identified.

It should be noted that even a good appeal t0 authority is not an exceptionally strong argument. Arguments that deal directly with evidence related to the claim itself will tend to be stronger.

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Examples of appeal to authority fallacy:

"If (a religious figure) said it was so, it is so." This may be based upon the belief that the speaker in question is holy and, by extension, inerrant.

"If (the sacred text) said it was so, it is so." This may be based upon the belief that the sacred text in question is inerrant. This argument may also include a false dilemma ("either-or") fallacy, where the text is presented with only two interpretations, when in fact the text can be interpreted in multiple dissimilar ways.

"My (teacher/parent/etc) said so, therefore it must be so."

"This (doctor/professional) recommends (product/service)."

Appealing to some citation from a famous book or author without considering the actual truth of the citation. References simply show where the information or claim possibly originated and to avoid plagarism.

The bandwagon fallacy is very similar to the appeal to authority, where popular opinion is cited in support of an idea. Confusing correlation with cause and effect also intermingles with these fallacies.