Argument from authority
Argument from authority or appeal to authority is a form of argument or reasoning which may give rise to a fallacy when misused.[1]
In informal reasoning,[2] the appeal to authority is an argument of the form:
- A is an authority on a particular topic
- A says says something about that topic
- A is probably correct
Statistically, that may often be right. However, it might be wrong in a particular case. In that case, it would be a fallacy. Thus, the appeal to authority is not a generally reliable argument for establishing facts.[3]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Logical Fallacies". Stanford.edu. Fall 2008. http://www.stanford.edu/~jonahw/PWR1/LogicalFallacies.htm. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
- ↑ Salmon, M.H. (2006). Introduction to critical reasoning. Mason, OH: Thomson Wadsworth. pp. 118–9.
- ↑ Walton, Douglas 2008. Informal logic. London: Cambridge University Press, p84. ISBN 0-521-71380-3
