kalam cosmological argument

Argumentum ad Verecundiam: Appeal to Illegitimate Authority

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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

Further Reading