Appeals to authority

Appeals to authority

Appeals to Authority
One of the most common and important argument forms is the appeal to authority. For this discussion, you will discuss this argument form, as well as how to use it to improve your reasoning and your life.

In your initial post:

Give three examples of appeals to authority (they can be from real source or experiences, or you can make them up). One should be very strong, one very weak, and one in the middle. Evaluate the quality of each.
Next, Provide an example of a time in which you or someone you know was fooled by trusting a source that turned out to be unreliable.
Finally, provide another paragraph or two in which you discuss appeals to authority in general, by addressing some of these types of questions:
How do we know which sources are reliable and trustworthy?
Do you find that there are some types of sources of which people are too trusting (e.g., social media)?
How might we learn to display the proper amount of skepticism and trust in relation to sources?
Are people too trusting of media sources, and is there a way to overcome these tendencies?
How can we make sure those are the best sources and not be deceived by deceptive ones?

Solution Preview

Appeals to Authority
Appeal to authority is a form of argument in which one concludes a premise based on the source of the statement presented in the premise. For instance, one could make the argument that pharmaceutical solutions to PTSD treatment are the best because he or she heard a psychologist give such a recommendation.

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