Common Fallacies - Part 1

I.                 What Is An Appeal to Authority Fallacy?

Appealing to authority as a reason to believe something is fallacious whenever:

1.     the authority appealed to is not really an authority in this particular subject

2.     the authority cannot be trusted to tell the truth (they are biased)

3.     authorities disagree on this subject (except for the occasional lone wolf)

4.     the author/speaker misquotes the authority.

II.               Questions to Ask When Judging an Authority

1.     Has the authority been identified? Do we know their name, occupation or field of study?

2.     Is their area of expertise legitimate? Is it a real field of study?

3.     Does the authority have sufficient expertise about the subject? Do they have a Masters/PhD in the subject?

4.     Is the claim made by the authority within their area(s) of expertise? Are they talking about a subject in their field of study?

5.     Is the authority free from any bias about the claim? Do they have anything to gain by making this claim?

6.     Is there a consensus among experts in the field about the claim? Do all scientists agree to one viewpoint?

If you can answer YES to all of the above questions, then chances are they appeal to authority is NOT a fallacious appeal to authority.

III.             What is Circular Reasoning?

Circular reasoning is a fallacy in which the premises include the claim that the conclusion is true or (directly or indirectly) assume that the conclusion is true. This sort of “reasoning” typically has the following form.

"A is true because B is true; B is true because A is true."

Circular reasoning can be difficult to detect if it involves a longer chain of propositions.