A fallacy of relevance.
The appeal to authority logical fallacy is one of several that try to make their point by referring to an irrelevant external agent. It has a similar structure to the appeal to popularity or the appeal to tradition.
As with the ad hominem fallacy, you need to be a little careful. Do not cry fallacy when you are, in fact, getting the professional opinion of a genuine expert. Appealing to an authority becomes fallacious when the credentials of the authority are not relevant. A good scientist knows that he is not an expert in every field. For example, Linus Pauling won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry (and the Nobel Peace Prize) but in the latter part of his career he championed mega doses of vitamins as the secret to long life. His ideas have never made it into the mainstream of science but he still gets quoted as an authority by people promoting alternative health.
Sometimes an argument will refer to ‘scientists’ but not tell you which scientists or they will refer to some research but not provide a reference so that you can read the original research yourself. Here are some examples…
…97% of climatologists agree that we are causing the climate to change. That is an exceedingly strong consensus. Nevertheless, it would be fallacious of me to say, “97% of climatologists agree that we are causing climate change, therefore we are causing climate change.” This commits a fallacy because it is always possible that the consensus is wrong. It is, however, unlikely that such an enormous majority of expert climatologists are wrong about such a well studied phenomenon. Therefore, it is not fallacious of me to say, “97% of climatologists agree that we are causing climate change, therefore we are probably causing climate change.”
Lifted wholesale from thelogicofscience.com
We agree with Pauling that two harmless substances together can treat and cure heart disease is indeed miraculous [sic]. Both substances are essential foods, meaning they are both required for life (in smaller amounts. They are extremely safe in high amounts, neither has a known lethal toxic dosage.)
.
Look out for examples and be careful to distinguish sensible advice from well-informed people from questionable advice from weak authorities. Not an easy thing to do sometimes!
Comments