Appeal to Authority
An appeal to authority is perhaps one of the more insidious fallacies around since it is not illogical to listen to authorities at all. The fallacy in the appeal is dependent on argument construction. Citing an expert’s stance and saying it must be true is an invalid claim and is equally invalid when using it to dismiss an opponent’s argument. The empirical reasons for the expert’s stance is what is important. For example, John cites an expert in psychology who says that homosexuality is a mental disorder. If the expert cited is actually an expert, the claim is still false based on a body of psychological research that includes replicated experiments. To determine if your appeal is not fallacious, it needs to pass several tests. You need to ask if the expert is qualified to speak on the subject at hand, if there is expert consensus on the subject in question, and if the expert does not have a personal bias/interest. If the answer is no to any of these, the use is fallacious. If the expert is not identified, the use can also be said to be fallacious based on omission. As part of our curiosity, Phi Kappans debate on many issues of importance that fall outside of our own personal expertise so using authorities is necessary, but there is a proper way to avoid a illogical argument. The key is good judgment. The next time you use an expert’s opinion ask yourself a few questions first.