Argument from Authority

Why the Argument from Authority Is a Logical Fallacy

At first, appealing to the authority of someone knowledgeable on the topic seems like a strong argument. Here's why that isn't always the case.

• When you appeal to an authority, you may not consider the context of their opinion. You could twist their words or misunderstand their stance.

• When you make an argument from authority, you might credit someone incorrectly. The authority figure might not be an expert in the exact field you are discussing.

Take this lawyer example again.

The person's friend might not be a fair use lawyer. They might not have expertise in the field of copyright or creative property! They might be a personal injury lawyer or estate planning lawyer.

• Someone might manipulate authority. Someone can use authority manipulatively to lie about something.

If any of these things happen, the appeal to authority is now a logical fallacy because the argument lacks truth. If logic lacks truth, then its conclusion will also lack truth.

• Ultimately, an expert's opinion is still an opinion. Someone saying something is just an opinion, even if an authority figure says it. Only evidence supports fact.

An authority in one field might not be an authority in another.

The Legitimate Appeal to Authority

There are many legitimate appeals to authority. Legitimate arguments from authority occur when you provide evidence alongside the appeal.

Authorities are not the evidence; authorities merely provide evidence. Take this example.

In this example, the authority and their evidence create a strong appeal to authority and a strong appeal to logos (the appeal to reason).

Inductive Argument from Authority

At its core, an argument from authority (or appeal to authority) is an inductive argument.

An appeal to authority takes one or more authoritative opinions and draws a larger conclusion. Take this for example:

This argument takes an authority figure's single vague opinion (some fossil fuels can be cleaner) and uses it to support "all fossil fuels can be cleaner" and then to Clean Coal. As you can see, the argument from authority uses individual opinions and statements to draw more significant conclusions.

Types Of Arguments from Authority

Here are three more types of appeals to authority.

Appeal to Anonymous Authority

This sounds as shady as it is.

Here's how that appears:

Who are these "experts," and how many are there? What is the evidence? These things need to be provided, or else the appeal is fallacious.

Appeal to Unqualified Authority

An unqualified authority doesn't have the credentials you think they do.

Well, that's no good.

Although Dan might have suffered from a disorder, this alone does not qualify him to provide psychotherapy or clinical advice. In this example, Dan appeals to his own authority on the subject.

Appeal to Tradition

The appeal to tradition does not appeal to a person but rather to precedence.

Here's an example.

This person attempts to appeal to the long-standing tradition of fishing in those parts. What this person fails to realize, however, is that things change. Entire populations have been hunted to extinction, so just because there were enough fish to catch in the past doesn't mean this is sustainable today.

In itself, tradition is not a justification for an argument.

Argument from Authority Essay Example

The argument from authority can appear in passages and essays like this one. Examine this passage and try to identify the arguments from authority. Then try to explain why it's a logical fallacy.

The following passages are appeals to authority.

This appeal to authority twists the words of an expert to appear broader than they are.

This appeals to an anonymous authority. "Government insiders" is not verifiable or useful in a persuasive argument. This writer needs to be more specific.

This final example appeals to tradition. However, just because something has been going on for a long time, it does not mean it makes logical sense now (or ever).

All these errors come down to one thing: a lack of evidence.

Avoiding Arguments from Authority

If you appeal to authority in your argument, you need to pair it with evidence. Authoritative evidence contains a symbiotic relationship between the authority and what that authority concludes. How? Because this kind of evidence contains the meat of the argument (the research evidence) and the person who understands it (an authority).

This is not to say that an authority who does not provide evidence is wrong. You must always look at each situation differently. Sometimes, an expert might not have the time to explain themselves fully. Often, someone using an authority will provide a link to the details of that authority's research, which is fine. Authorities help us learn things and trust things.

So here's the bottom line. Include as much information as you can so you don't invite unwarranted speculation. If you appeal to authority without evidence, somebody can discredit you or the authority, even if your statement is correct.