Argument from authority

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An argument from authority (Latin: argumentum ab auctoritate, also called an appeal to authority, or argumentum ad verecundiam) is a form of argument in which the opinion of an authority figure (or figures) is used as evidence to support an argument. While most sources agree this is not a valid form of logical proof and therefore obtaining knowledge in this way is fallible, there is disagreement on the general extent to which it is fallible. Historically, opinion on the appeal to authority has been divided: it is listed as a non-fallacious argument as often as a fallacious argument in various sources. Some consider it a practical and sound way of obtaining knowledge that is generally likely to be correct when the authority is real, pertinent, and universally accepted, while others consider it to be a very weak defeasible argument or an outright fallacy.

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