Not an Expert
Also: Appeal to False Authority, Honor by Association,
Halo Effect, Not a Real Doctor, Endorsement Ads
Class: Evade > Irrelevant
Halo Effect, Not a Real Doctor, Endorsement Ads
Class: Evade > Irrelevant
Presenting someone’s opinion as
evidence when they are not a
qualified expert in that subject.
evidence when they are not a
qualified expert in that subject.
Panda rodeos should be banned. Even Zendaya spoke out against them.
Zendaya is a celebrity, not a zoologist.
Dr. Schmoe recommends we raise taxes.
Dr. Schmoe is a foot doctor, not an economist.
Well, I went to Harvard, and I think we should switch to year-round school.
Where you went to college does not mean all your opinions are correct.
Senator Schmoe says we don’t have a policing problem, and he’s black.
Being black doesn’t mean he’s the authority to speak for all black people.
Foolacy vs. Fallacy
Honor by Association: Citing someone who went to a good school, works at a good company, comes from a prosperous country, etc.
Genetic Fallacy: Assuming something is valid if it’s from a trusted source. (Also could be discredited for negative origins, but that’s not relevant here.)So really the bias and fallacies are two sides of the same coin.Two related but different fallacies are:
Appeal to Authority: Citing a qualified expert as proof. Experts are good support, but not proof.
Courtier’s Reply: Saying the speaker must be wrong if they are not a qualified expert. This is a counterpart to Appeal to False Authority: even non-experts can be correct.
Halo Effect is a cognitive bias where the listener allows themselves to be misled. The speaker takes advantage of this by using fallacies:
Appeal to False Authority: Citing someone who is popular, smart, or rich.Honor by Association: Citing someone who went to a good school, works at a good company, comes from a prosperous country, etc.
Genetic Fallacy: Assuming something is valid if it’s from a trusted source. (Also could be discredited for negative origins, but that’s not relevant here.)So really the bias and fallacies are two sides of the same coin.Two related but different fallacies are:
Appeal to Authority: Citing a qualified expert as proof. Experts are good support, but not proof.
Courtier’s Reply: Saying the speaker must be wrong if they are not a qualified expert. This is a counterpart to Appeal to False Authority: even non-experts can be correct.