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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated
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To: TimF who wrote (342504)1/11/2010 3:23:38 PM
From: LindyBill1 Recommendation  Read Replies (2) of 793608
 
Reality is not determined by authority

"Argument from Authority" is the oldest scam out there. From Wikipedia:

Argument from authority or appeal to authority is a logical fallacy, where it is argued that a statement is correct because the statement is made by a person or source that is commonly regarded as authoritative. The most general structure of this argument is:

Source A says that p.
Source A is authoritative.
Therefore, p is true.

This is a fallacy because the truth or falsity of the claim is not necessarily related to the personal qualities of the claimant, and because the premises can be true, and the conclusion false (an authoritative claim can turn out to be false). It is also known as argumentum ad verecundiam (Latin: argument to respect) or ipse dixit (Latin: he himself said it). [1]

On the other hand, arguments from authority are an important part of informal logic. Since we cannot have expert knowledge of many subjects, we often rely on the judgments of those who do. There is no fallacy involved in simply arguing that the assertion made by an authority is true. The fallacy only arises when it is claimed or implied that the authority is infallible in principle and can hence be exempted from criticism.

All Religions are run on this basis.

"Do this because God says so."

"How do you know that?"

"Because God told me."

"Oh."
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