authority appeal to

<logic, argumentum, argument, syllogysm, fallacia>, <epistemology, opinion, authority> (argumentum ad verecundiam). The informal fallacy of claiming that we ought to accept the truth of a proposition because of some personal feature of the individual who affirms it. Example: "The former Governor believes that aliens have landed in the Arizona desert, so aliens must have landed in the Arizona desert." Recommended Reading: Douglas Walton, Appeal to Expert Opinion: Arguments from Authority (Penn. State, 1997).

[A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names]

<2001-11-16>

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Nearby terms: authentication « authenticity « authoritarianism « authority appeal to » autocracy » automata » automata theory