| Appeal to Self-Declared Authority |
Logical Fallacy of Appeal to Self-Declared AuthorityThe logical fallacy of appeal to self-declared authority occurs when a claim is made by a person that he or she is an authority, but no legitimate reason is given to take the person's word. There is no one, other than God, who can declare himself or herself an authority and be rational in doing so. Examples of the Logical Fallacy of Appeal to Self-Declared Authority
When Bill says, “the very, very lowest estimate is that there are about 8.7 million species, but a much more reasonable estimate is it’s 50 million or even 100 million when you start counting the viruses and bacteria, and all the beetles that must be extant in the tropical rain forests that we haven’t found,” he is telling an outright lie. What some scientists considered to be the most accurate guestimate at the time of the debate was 8.7 million, counting beetles, bacteria, viruses, and everything else. When Bill says, “it’s 50 million or even 100 million when you start counting the viruses and bacteria, and all the beetles,” he implies that these are not included in the 8.7 million. This is an outright lie. When Bill says, “but a much more reasonable estimate is it’s 50 million or even 100 million,” he is saying that the estimate that is most accurate is not the most reasonable. Why would the most accurate estimate not be the most reasonable? This is non sequitur. When Bill says, “that must be extant,” he is over-stating the case by using the word, “must”. Twice, in this argument, Bill asserts himself as the authority who is able to declare what is most reasonable. In both cases, his assertion of more reasonable is bare assertion. Of course, he is the self-declared reasonable man. 
How can we know anything about anything? That’s the real question |
Other Pages in this sectionFaulty Appeal to Authority False Attribution Pretentiousness Ad Verecundiam The Semi-Attached Figure Biased Authority Anonymous Authority Authority of the Select Few Invincible Authority Appeal to Celebrity Style over Substance Appeal to the Exotic Appeal to Gravity Appeal to Accomplishment Appeal to Control of Scientific Journals Control of Scientific Funding Appeal to Control of News Media Spotlight Wisdom of the Ancients Argument to the Purse Halo Effect Reverse Halo Effect / Devil Effect According to the Rules Fallacy Word Magic Recently Viewed |
