Argumentum ad Verecundiam: Appeal to Illegitimate Authority

img_0577

There are times in the pursuit of any knowledge--science, history, philosophy, etc.--when we have to rely on the testimony of others. What makes someone a reliable authority? In this video, I discuss the difference between legitimate and illegitimate appeals to authority.

NOTES

Appeal to authority- accepting the testimony of others as a grounds for belief or possibly knowledge
- Types:
  - Eye-witness testimony
  - Opinions informed by experience
  - Expert research
What makes an authority legitimate?
- Expertise
  - Conversant with all views on the topic
  - Vote of confidence from colleagues
  - Corroboration
- Trustworthiness
  - Honest
  - Objective/unbiased
  - Sober-minded
  - Thorough
Argumentum ad Verecundiam- Appeal to an illegitimate authority
- Types:
  - Not an expert in the subject
  - Not reliable
  - The person citing the authority is not reliable
- Non-experts
  - Experts in other fields
  - Expertise too specified/general for the nature of the question
  - Not an expert at all
    - Internet sources
    - Celebrity appeal
  - Personal experience for general conclusions
- Not trustworthy/reliable
  - Unreliably biased
  - Liars
- Unreliable reporting
  - Misunderstanding the expert
  - Misquotation
  - Reporting bias
  - Unnamed experts

NOTES

Further Reading