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Author Topic:   When is quoting an authority not a logical fallacy?
designtheorist
Member (Idle past 3833 days)
Posts: 390
From: Irvine, CA, United States
Joined: 09-15-2011


Message 1 of 2 (640842)
11-13-2011 5:21 PM


An earlier thread on logical fallacies has become bogged down regarding the Appeal to Authority. I suggest we argue the issue separately here and once we get a consensus, we take the conclusion back to the other thread.
An appeal to authority is a type of argument in logic also known as argument from authority, argumentum ad verecundiam (Latin: argument from modesty) or ipse dixit (Latin: he himself, said it). It is one method of obtaining propositional knowledge and is often a logical fallacy. Some examples of appeals to authority:
Referring to the philosophical beliefs of Aristotle. "If Aristotle said it was so, it is so".
Quotes from religious books such as the Bible. "The Bible says X, therefore X is the right thing".
Claiming that some crime is morally wrong because it is illegal. "It's against the law for stores to be open on weekends, therefore it's wrong for them to do so".
Referencing scientific research published in a peer reviewed journal. "Science (in the form of an article in a prestigious journal) says X, therefore X is so".
Believing what one is told by one's teacher. "My teacher said so, therefore it must be right."
Sometimes, an appeal to authority is a logical fallacy.
Note: Sometimes, an appeal to authority is a logical fallacy. Sometimes it is just quoting an expert.
Conditions for a legitimate argument from authority
-The authority must have competence in an area, not just glamour, prestige, rank or popularity.
-The judgement must be within the authority's field of competence.
-The authority must be interpreted correctly.
-Direct evidence must be available, at least in principle.
-The expert should be reasonably unbiased (not unduly influenced by other factors, such as money, political considerations, or religious beliefs).
The judgement must be representative of expert opinions on the issue (as opposed to an unrepresentative sample).
A technique is needed to adjudicate disagreements among equally qualified authorities.
-The argument must be valid in its own right i.e. without needing to appeal to authority at all. (This last point ought to dissuade any who might consider an argument legitimate from authority alone.)
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Appeal_to_authority/
Sometimes quoting an expert can add clarity and insight to a legitimate argument. It is absolutely irrational to think experts are always wrong or that any quote citing an expert is automatically a logical fallacy.
Edited by Admin, : Fix bold/italic dBCodes.

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 Message 2 by Admin, posted 11-13-2011 6:41 PM designtheorist has not replied

  
Admin
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Posts: 12998
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(1)
Message 2 of 2 (640852)
11-13-2011 6:41 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by designtheorist
11-13-2011 5:21 PM


When I promoted thread A proper understanding of logical fallacies will improve the quality of debate I already knew it would end up focusing on the argument from authority, and as one of the standard logical fallacies it is on-topic. I suggest you repost this message to that thread.

--Percy
EvC Forum Director

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by designtheorist, posted 11-13-2011 5:21 PM designtheorist has not replied

  
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