appeal to authority
Because they said
An appeal to authority is an argument that something is true because an expert or respected figure says so.
In logic, it's considered a fallacy when the authority cited lacks relevant expertise or when expert opinion substitutes for actual evidence: Saying vaccines are dangerous because a celebrity said so is an appeal to authority.
The phrase appears most often in discussions of rhetoric and critical thinking.
- ad hominemArgument targeting character
- pooh-poohDismiss as trivial
- wishful thinkingBelief shaped by desire
- red herringIntentional misleading distraction
- credentialismOvervaluing formal qualifications
expertise · doctor's orders · ivory tower · testimonial · ethos · legitimacy · expert opinion · famous last words · logical fallacy · loaded question · poisoning the well · confirmation bias · propaganda · special pleading · denialism · rationalization · anecdotal evidence · straw man
- rhetoricrhetoric, persuasion, oratory, argumentation, debate
- argument termsad hominem, evidence, straw man, proof, logic
- debate tacticsexaggeration, logical fallacy, straw man, reductio ad absurdum, deflection
- logical fallaciesfallacy, straw man, ad hominem, red herring, false dilemma
- manipulation tacticsgaslighting, guilt trip, guilt-tripping, guilt tripping, emotional blackmail
- propagandapropaganda, brainwashing, disinformation, misinformation, indoctrination
appeal to authorityempirical evidence
Proof from measurable observation
scientific method · statistical analysis · reasoned argument · evidence-based reasoning · inductive reasoning
appeal, appeals, appealed, appealing, appealingly, appellant, appellate, appellation, authority