Okuzeka
Philosophy vocabulary · Fallacies

Appeal to authority

Meaning in philosophy, with examples

nounCommon term

In philosophy, appeal to authority means: A fallacy that treats a claim as true simply because an authority figure says so, especially when that person is not an expert on the topic.

In Turkish: otoriteye başvurma safsatası, otoriteye dayanma

How it is used

Its Latin name is argumentum ad verecundiam. Relying on genuine expert consensus is usually reasonable; it becomes fallacious when the authority is irrelevant or disputed, or is used to end the discussion.

Example sentences

  1. Quoting a famous actor on vaccine safety is an appeal to authority.

  2. 'Aristotle said so' settles nothing; it's just an appeal to authority.

Common collocations

  • argument from authority
  • expert consensus
  • ad verecundiam
  • rely on authority
  • fallacyA common error in reasoning that makes an argument look convincing even though its premises do not properly support its conclusion.
  • ad hominemA fallacy in which someone attacks the person making an argument, such as their character or motives, instead of the argument itself.
  • hasty generalizationA fallacy of drawing a general conclusion from too few cases or from cases that are not representative.
  • red herringAn irrelevant point brought into a discussion, deliberately or not, that draws attention away from the real issue.

More terms: Fallacies

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: