Appeal to Authority

Mistaking expertise for infallibility.

Experts matter, but even experts can be wrong.

“Argument to reverence (or modesty).” Coined by John Locke. Appeals to authority are fallacious when the authority is irrelevant, disputed, or treated as infallible.

1. P1Authority A asserts C.
2. P2Whatever A asserts is true.✕ Off trail here
3. CTherefore C is true.

Diagnosis: A legitimate appeal says “A is a reliable expert in this field, and experts broadly agree, so C is probable.” The fallacy upgrades probable to certain, or borrows an expert from the wrong field.

• Apologetics

  “A famous physicist says God is unnecessary.” Physics expertise doesn’t automatically transfer to metaphysics — and the same applies to a theologian speaking on cosmology.

• Hermeneutics

  “Calvin said it, so that settles the meaning.” Even the Reformers urged that their commentaries be tested against Scripture.

• Philosophical Theology

  Appeals to Scripture or creeds are not automatically fallacious within a tradition that holds them authoritative — but in dialogue with outsiders, the authority itself must be argued.