My understanding is that the “appeal to authority fallacy” is specifically about appealing to irrelevant authorities. Quoting a physicist on their opinion about a physics question within their area of expertise would make an excellent non-fallacious argument. On the other hand, appealing to the opinion of say, a politician or CEO about a physics question would be a classic example of the appeal to authority fallacy. Such people’s opinions would represent expert evidence in their fields of expertise, but not outside them.
I don’t think the poster’s description makes this clear and it really does suggest that any appeal to authority at all is a logical fallacy.
I agree the poster is wrong. Appeals to authority can also be non-fallacious but of very weak inductive strength: for example, when the authority holds the minority opinion for her field. They are also fallacious as deductive arguments.
My understanding is that the “appeal to authority fallacy” is specifically about appealing to irrelevant authorities. Quoting a physicist on their opinion about a physics question within their area of expertise would make an excellent non-fallacious argument. On the other hand, appealing to the opinion of say, a politician or CEO about a physics question would be a classic example of the appeal to authority fallacy. Such people’s opinions would represent expert evidence in their fields of expertise, but not outside them.
I don’t think the poster’s description makes this clear and it really does suggest that any appeal to authority at all is a logical fallacy.
I agree the poster is wrong. Appeals to authority can also be non-fallacious but of very weak inductive strength: for example, when the authority holds the minority opinion for her field. They are also fallacious as deductive arguments.
“Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts.”