What does appeal to authority mean

But if you ask some other religious experts, they may not agree with this, especially if they are not of the Catholic faith. There is no research or evidence behind this claim, so stating it as a fact because it was said by a religious authority is a fallacious argument. Because no one has proven this, we cannot accept a claim about salvation or damnation in any definitive way. This meme was poking fun at those who fall for everything they read online or see on the news.

Obviously, Abe Lincoln cannot be quoted as saying this because the internet wasn't around when he was alive. But, he is an authority figure who many continue to look up to to this day. However, his authority and expertise is irrelevant to the internet age.

It's likely that your local news doesn't specialize in Alzheimer's research, so until an article addressing this statement is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, I would be skeptical as to whether or not the news station was trying to get some ratings by spinning a story with such a headline. When someone tries to make a claim based on a minority opinion, it is a faulty argument. However, without facts or other sound research, their claims can only be taken as that—an opinion.

When an everyday person makes a claim and says that an authority figure believes it to be true, but offers no other evidence, I would be a bit more wary about the truth.

Connie Mathers is a professional editor and freelance writer. When she is not writing, Connie is either spending time with her daughter and two dogs, running, or working at her full-time job as a social worker in Richmond, VA. Pin As such, the logical form of a non-fallacious argument from authority would be:.

Generally, a fallacious appeal to authority is one that fails to meet the requirements of a legitimate one: the authority is not a real expert in the relevant area of knowledge, their statement is not concerned with the actual issue, or their views go against the general agreement among experts in that field of study. This is likely the most common way of erroneously citing supposed experts. It occurs when someone uses the words of poor or irrelevant authorities as evidence for a claim.

In such a case, the authorities are unqualified or their expertise is not relevant to the argument being made. This type of claim often appeals vaguely to some unnamed experts. Contents Hide. Appeal to Tradition Fallacy: Definition and Examples.

Therefore, Y is true. Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and perhaps the foremost expert in the field, says that evolution is true. Therefore, it's true. Explanation: Richard Dawkins certainly knows about evolution, and he can confidently tell us that it is true, but that doesn't make it true. What makes it true is the preponderance of evidence for the theory.

How do I know the adult film industry is the third largest industry in the United States? Derek Shlongmiester, the adult film star of over 50 years, said it was.

That's how I know. Explanation: Shlongmiester may be an industry expert, as well as have a huge talent, but a claim such as the one made would require supporting evidence. A commercial claims that a specific brand of cereal is the best way to start the day because athlete Michael Jordan says that it is what he eats every day for breakfast.

A book argues that global warming is not actually happening, and cites the research of one environmental scientist who has been studying climate change for several years. A little boy says that his friends should not go swimming in a river because his Mama said there were germs in the river.