An authority fallacy occurs when a person’s authority is taken as evidence that their statement is true. This mistake can be made when someone uses a statement made by someone else as evidence of a particular position. An authority fallacy can also occur when someone claims to be an authority on a particular subject where no reasonable authority can exist. To avoid an authority error, the message should be considered and evaluated for validity, rather than the messenger.
An authority fallacy is a type of logical fallacy in which a person’s authority is taken as evidence that any statement they make is true. This type of mistake is often made by someone who uses a statement made by someone else as evidence of a particular position on an issue. That authority’s area of expertise, however, may never be challenged and therefore the person may not truly be an authority in a relevant field. A fallacy of authority can also occur simply because someone’s position as an authority in a subject does not make them infallible.
Also called an appeal to authority, a fallacy is typically committed when someone uses a statement made by someone else as evidence of a particular position. While this in itself is not grounds for error, the person’s authority should be questioned. For example, just because someone is a successful businessman who has made a lot of money doesn’t intrinsically mean that he can be a successful politician. This type of authority fallacy is often made when people associate success or knowledge in one field as emblematic of overall success or knowledge in all fields.
An authority fallacy can also occur when someone claims to be an authority on a particular subject, where no reasonable authority can actually exist. For example, if someone makes a statement, as an authority, about life on other planets, then it is likely that this kind of mistake has been made. Even an expert in the field of astronomy and the study of other worlds cannot be considered an authority on life on other worlds. This is simply due to the limitations of human experience in this particular subject area and any statement made by that person should be considered on its merits and not on the speaker’s authority.
Anyone arguing for or against a particular point should also keep in mind that an error of authority can also be made unknowingly. Someone can be an authority in a relevant field and still make an incorrect or false statement. Just because someone is a math expert, for example, doesn’t mean that he can’t be wrong about some aspect of math. To avoid an authority error, the message, rather than the messenger, should be considered and evaluated for validity.
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