Appeal to Authority
A Logical Fallacy That Steals Your Autonomy
I enjoy brushing up on my critical thinking skills to keep them sharp and thought you might enjoy learning more about logical fallacies, so here we go!
An Appeal to Authority fallacy occurs when someone contends a claim is true simply because an authority or expert says the claim is true without offering any other evidence to support the claim. I thought that the Appeal to Authority fallacy was an important one to take a closer look at because, when it comes to health, the last 3 years have demonstrated the Appeal to Authority is a very easy fallacy to fall victim to.
It’s worth noting that appeals to authority are not always fallacious and can be used as part of a solid argument. But the claim needs to be backed up by solid and well-balanced evidence. It’s also important that the expert being appealed to is staying in their lane and speaking on a topic that they are truly an expert in. Many ‘experts’ can and will leverage their knowledge in one area to sound like an authority in another area if it will benefit them. They will also leverage their popularity to influence and pressure people into decisions, including medical decisions. Using their social status to influence medical decisions under the guise of being an ‘expert’ is almost always financially motivated, so be aware of where motivation to speak about a medical topic is coming from.
We have seen, over and over again, non-medical authority figures veering out of their lane to influence and pressure people into making decisions around their health. These authority figures have no business making recommendations on health topics and we should be probing and questioning what they say every single time. Instead, it seems as though their advice is lapped up and people are making very important decisions about their health because Bill Gates, Big Bird, a singer, and actor, or a social media influencer told them it was the best choice for their health.
When health decisions are made because an authority figure claims that it is the correct decision for you, you have handed your medical autonomy over to them. But does that ‘expert’ know your medical history? Have they done a clear risks vs benefits analysis for you based on your personal health information. Of course not!
So whether it’s promoting veganism or carnivore or the COVID vaccine or ivermectin, question everything, even the experts! If they’re really experts, they won’t be threatened by questions and will have plenty of evidence to have a thoughtful coversation. If they don’t have the evidence to back up their claim, they’ll dodge a deeper discussion. This should make us wonder what’s going on with the RFK Jr vs Hotez debate debacle, right?!?
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