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https://www.grammarly.com/blog/appeal-to-authority-fallacy/ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/appeal-to-authority-fallacy/

inthepipe 4y ago
> When you need to support a claim, it can be tempting to support it with a statement from an authority figure. But if done improperly, this could be a logical fallacy—the appeal to authority fallacy. The key words are: “if done improperly, this could be…” The article goes on the give non-fallacious examples of an appeal to authority. The quality of an implantation will be correlated to experience, so this is an example of a non-fallacious appeal to authority.
burkaman 4y ago
> if done improperly, this could be a logical fallacy Maybe I'm wrong but doesn't this put it in a totally different category than other fallacies? Circular arguments, for example. All circular arguments are wrong. If you identify a circular argument you don't even have to fully understand what is being said, you can immediately conclude "this is a bad argument". But appeal to authority isn't like that. "I'm not going to drive through the mountains today because the roads are iced over, and I know that because the highway department said so." That's an appeal to authority, and it isn't proof, but it's a good argument and there's no need to drive out yourself and confirm that the roads are dangerous. Identifying an appeal to authority is not enough to discard an argument, you need to evaluate the authority. When you see a circular argument you don't have to measure the diameter of the circle or something. So I don't think appealing the Grammarly was a fallacy, but in this case I think they're wrong.
- FatActor 4y ago
  That's a good clarification. Thanks for the example. Hmm... perhaps my concern is that expert opinions matter way more than non-experts, but we still can't blindly trust them. ...and I'm sure you're not saying to take everything they say as word of truth. I withdraw my argument on the grounds it is poorly constructed.

> When you need to support a claim, it can be tempting to support it with a statement from an authority figure. But if done improperly, this could be a logical fallacy—the appeal to authority fallacy. The key words are: “if done improperly, this could be…” The article goes on the give non-fallacious examples of an appeal to authority. The quality of an implantation will be correlated to experience, so this is an example of a non-fallacious appeal to authority.

burkaman 4y ago

> if done improperly, this could be a logical fallacy Maybe I'm wrong but doesn't this put it in a totally different category than other fallacies? Circular arguments, for example. All circular arguments are wrong. If you identify a circular argument you don't even have to fully understand what is being said, you can immediately conclude "this is a bad argument". But appeal to authority isn't like that. "I'm not going to drive through the mountains today because the roads are iced over, and I know that because the highway department said so." That's an appeal to authority, and it isn't proof, but it's a good argument and there's no need to drive out yourself and confirm that the roads are dangerous. Identifying an appeal to authority is not enough to discard an argument, you need to evaluate the authority. When you see a circular argument you don't have to measure the diameter of the circle or something. So I don't think appealing the Grammarly was a fallacy, but in this case I think they're wrong.

FatActor 4y ago
That's a good clarification. Thanks for the example. Hmm... perhaps my concern is that expert opinions matter way more than non-experts, but we still can't blindly trust them. ...and I'm sure you're not saying to take everything they say as word of truth. I withdraw my argument on the grounds it is poorly constructed.