Paul Rosenberg – The appeal to authority fallacy (also called argument from authority) is a very simple one, but it can be tricky to deal with. This fallacy says that we should not believe things just because people with authority say they’re right. Typically, the fallacy appears like this:

Person A: XYZ is happening, and the world is in great danger because of it.

Person B: Why in the world would I believe XYZ is happening? I see no evidence.

Person A: Ha! The New York Times, the Harvard Review, the Counsel of Churches and scientific consensus have all said it’s happening!

And here’s another common use: Continue reading →