Argument from authority

An argumentum ad verecundiam (Latin for, proof by awe ') or authority argument is an argument that wants to prove a hypothesis by an appeal to an authority. Since authority as such not guarantee truth is, it is not a logical conclusion.

Use

An appeal to authority can replace a complicated factual substantiation of claims in a dispute. As a general rhetorical technique, relying on foreign expertise is particularly successful when this expertise is recognized by all parties involved. However, such recognition is usually limited to scientific expertise and practical experience in modernity. As an alternative authority but can also be a proven tradition, public opinion or the shared beliefs of a particular group may be used ( depending on the circumstances ).

A well-known authority in Europe regarding the Bible and the writings of the patristics in the theological field; derived from a collection of authority arguments then forms a correspondingly shaped church dogmatics. In the scholastic reference to authority was used to check for a claim compatibility with the reasoning or by the Christian dogma. As the authority argues for the claim is only of limited importance; is important that their particular interpretation of sovereignty or an appropriately authoritative role is attributed. Indeed, various authorities could be pitted against each by their rank and their relevance to the dogma were compared. Turn, especially the clarity of their conceptual reasoning and the presumed access to the divine revelation are vital to the rank of authority.

Assessment

An argument by authority is a sham argument that can lead to a false conclusion that if the authority is wrong in itself.

An authority argument has to be allowed, have the following properties:

• The authority is trusted, because it has proven itself.
• The authority is properly cited.
• The authority has expertise in the relevant subject area.
• The general rules of reasoning have been complied with.
• Authorities who represent the opposing view, are rather easy to ignore, also cited and refuted.

Where these points are not met, the authority is cited unjustified and the suspicion that it is an intentional fallacy or sophism is near.