The argument from authority is a fallacy that relies on the opinion of an authority figure to support a claim, rather than offering evidence or logical reasoning. The Nixon example shows that being an authority figure doesn't make their assertions correct, especially if they can't be verified.
Un argumento de autoridad es una falacia que apela a la opinión de una figura de autoridad para validar un argumento, en lugar de proporcionar pruebas o razonamientos lógicos. El ejemplo de Nixon ilustra que ser una figura de autoridad no garantiza la corrección de sus afirmaciones, especialmente si no pueden ser verificadas.
| Fallacy | argument from authority |
|---|---|
| Definition and Examples | (e.g., President Richard Nixon should be re-elected because he has a secret plan to end the war in Southeast Asia — but because it was secret, there was no way for the electorate to evaluate it on its merits; the argument amounted to trusting him because he was President: a mistake, as it turned out) |
Tags: fallacies
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