No. 272 · Evidence · Fallacy
Appeal to Authority
A famous name or senior title is not evidence; ask how they know.
In the Almanac
“Vesalius corrects Galen”, 1543 · “FTX”, 2021–2022
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Appeal to Authority?
The appeal to authority is the fallacy of accepting a claim because of who endorses it. Real expertise is useful evidence, but only within the expert's field, when peers broadly agree, and when the reasoning can be checked.
How do you avoid Appeal to Authority?
When a famous face or senior title is persuading you, ask three things: do they know this field, are they being paid, and what independent evidence supports the claim?
When does Appeal to Authority matter?
Appeal to Authority is one of the 68 mental models for evidence, the situations where you ask: Is this really true? Within that, it belongs to “Spotting a bad argument”, alongside Ad Hominem, Appeal to Emotion and Appeal to Ignorance.
What is an example of Appeal to Authority?
Two stories show it at work: Vesalius corrects Galen (1543) and FTX (2021–2022). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Appeal to Authority?
Halo Effect, Circle of Competence and Social Proof. Appeal to Authority itself comes from fallacy.