3 ms·

Are you advocating "proof by authority "?

• thaumasiotes 11y ago
  Of course. Appeal to authority was never a fallacy; the fallacy is "appeal to false authority". "Terry Tao knows much more about math in general and this in particular than I do, so I'll trust what he says here" is completely valid.
  • Retra 11y ago
    A fields medal doesn't indicate general authority in mathematics, only authority with regards to what was necessary for getting the medal.
    • yawaramin 11y ago
      OK, but being a math professor does indicate general authority in mathematics.
    • eruditely 11y ago
      Appeal to authority is a dumb logical fallacy in reality geniuses are better at everything and we should prioritize their opinions by some decent weight over everyone else. Obviously.