The Appeal to Authority.

[conuly]

Let's say you're in an argument with somebody, and to prove your point you go "Well, so-and-so says that rubbing your head while patting your tummy (or is it the other way around?) is a sure way to prevent colon cancer!"

Unless so-and-so is a leading researcher in colon cancer, that argument is unlikely to hold much water, right? And even if so-and-so *is* a leading researcher in colon cancer, I'd want to see some research before I begin my new exercise routine. Even experts make mistakes.

And that's the appeal to authority, in a nutshell. A very loosely defined nutshell, but there it is. As a logical argument, it kinda sucks. I mean, it really sucks. Hoo boy, does it ever suck. In the bad way.

But as a child wrangling technique? GOLD STAR.

"Connie! I DON'T WANNA WEAR MY OVERALLS!"
"They make you look cute, and we don't have anything else in this bag. You're sopping wet*."
"THEY NOT MAKE ME CUTE!"
"Hey! You! Do these overalls make Ana look cute? Yes? SEEE?"

And thus the world is saved from watching Ana's bare butt running around. Random strangers can stop an argument short, simply by agreeing with me when I ask them things like "Are we really on Staten Island?" or "Do you think she should flush the toilet?" or "Do you think this blue ball is just as good as that yellow ball?"

It's great. It really is.

And it's your logical fallacy of the randomly determined period of time. Learn it, live it, love it. When appropriate.

*_{Due generally to water tables and sprinklers, not the other stuff, thankfully.}

Comments

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

I think it's rub your tummy and pat your head. Otherwise you muss your hair up.

[rho]

My favourite ever appeal to authority was when I was arguing with a Random Internet Person about population genetics. I, of course, was right. I backed up my claim with a citation from Nature. The other person tried to over-ride this with an appeal to authority to... his biology teacher! Good times.

[sparkofcreation.livejournal.com]

My favorite may be someone countering the argument that the Christian view that women should be submissive was outdated and a product of the time in which it was written, and in any case Jesus himself never said so, with ... a quote from Corinthians. Y'know, those letters written 2000 years ago, and not by Jesus?

[leora.livejournal.com]

On a vaguely related note... this wasn't an argument as we both recognized we didn't really know the answer, but we both knew what we were taught. My gym teacher taught me that when you exercise too much, the muscles have to start using anaerobic processes rather than aerobic ones and they create lactic acid, which isn't that good for you (in that location, at least) and is what causes pain from over-exercising. My partner was taught the same thing by his biology teacher, except with formic acid instead of lactic.

We appealed to the authority of my father (a retired doctor, whom we figured would be better), and it turned out my gym teacher knew better than his bio teacher - rather sad, really.

I do think accepting an authority's word has its place. Mainly when you cannot do the studies yourself and the authority seems reasonable. Or when you cannot understand the math yourself, but the authorities seem reasonable. I accept a lot of physics based on authority, because I simply do not have the math skills or the training, and possibly not the sheer mental ability to understand it. But I assume the things they tell me about weird quantum effects, Lorenz (spelling?) contractions, virtual particles, and the like are our best models and more true than other models. But I certainly can't give you a convincing reason why. When I was younger, I had to accept a bunch of lesser things this way, some of them I now can make informed opinions on.

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

I think it's rub your tummy and pat your head. Otherwise you muss your hair up.

[rho]

My favourite ever appeal to authority was when I was arguing with a Random Internet Person about population genetics. I, of course, was right. I backed up my claim with a citation from Nature. The other person tried to over-ride this with an appeal to authority to... his biology teacher! Good times.

[sparkofcreation.livejournal.com]

My favorite may be someone countering the argument that the Christian view that women should be submissive was outdated and a product of the time in which it was written, and in any case Jesus himself never said so, with ... a quote from Corinthians. Y'know, those letters written 2000 years ago, and not by Jesus?

[leora.livejournal.com]

On a vaguely related note... this wasn't an argument as we both recognized we didn't really know the answer, but we both knew what we were taught. My gym teacher taught me that when you exercise too much, the muscles have to start using anaerobic processes rather than aerobic ones and they create lactic acid, which isn't that good for you (in that location, at least) and is what causes pain from over-exercising. My partner was taught the same thing by his biology teacher, except with formic acid instead of lactic.

We appealed to the authority of my father (a retired doctor, whom we figured would be better), and it turned out my gym teacher knew better than his bio teacher - rather sad, really.

I do think accepting an authority's word has its place. Mainly when you cannot do the studies yourself and the authority seems reasonable. Or when you cannot understand the math yourself, but the authorities seem reasonable. I accept a lot of physics based on authority, because I simply do not have the math skills or the training, and possibly not the sheer mental ability to understand it. But I assume the things they tell me about weird quantum effects, Lorenz (spelling?) contractions, virtual particles, and the like are our best models and more true than other models. But I certainly can't give you a convincing reason why. When I was younger, I had to accept a bunch of lesser things this way, some of them I now can make informed opinions on.