appeals to authority
Expert-citing argument fallacy
Appeals to authority is a rhetorical strategy that cites an expert or respected figure to support a claim.
The appeal can be legitimate when the authority has relevant expertise: Climate scientists agree that temperatures are rising.
It becomes a logical fallacy when the authority lacks relevant credentials, when experts disagree, or when the citation substitutes for actual evidence: My doctor says the economy is failing.
- ad hominemArgument targeting character
- credibilityQuality inspiring trust
- trusted sourceVerified provider of information
- logical analysisMethodical examination of reasoning
- ethosCollective moral character
straw man · hierarchy · intellectual humility · pathos · legitimacy · expertise · false dilemma · cognitive biases · credentialism · doctor's orders · testimonial evidence · citation needed · logos · scientific consensus · power dynamics · peer review · persuasion techniques · debate strategies
- debate tacticsexaggeration, logical fallacy, straw man, reductio ad absurdum, deflection
- propagandapropaganda, brainwashing, disinformation, misinformation, indoctrination
appeals to authorityevidence-based reasoning
Logic anchored to facts
empirical evidence · direct evidence · scientific method · logical proof · primary sources
appeals to authoritysound argument
Logically valid reasoning
logical deduction · reasoned argument · formal logic · Socratic method
appeals to authoritycritical thinking
Objective evaluation of information
skeptical inquiry · questioning assumptions · freethinking · direct observation · self-evident truths
appeal, appeals, appealed, appealing, appellant, appellate, appellation, authority, authorities