.... Content Fallacies ....
There are numerous reasons on how an argument can contain content fallacies. I have chosen to discuss Bad Appeal to Authority. Bad appeal to authority is mainly when an argument is supported by an expert's testimony from their field of expertise. Yet, not all testimonies from the expert can always be true. The expert might have a bias opinion about a certain issue thus the counter argument will be left out of discussion. Also, bad appeal to authority, can be seen everywhere in our daily lives. If we just open our eyes and critically analysis the advertisements that surround us or what our friends' say when they recommend to us a certain eat out place. Can we trust what these people are saying?
First, as I was driving down a highway there was an advertisement that contained a smiling person wearing a white lab coat, automatically, I assumed that he was a doctor with a PhD in medicine just because he was wearing the coat. He's claiming how a small pill can help an individual lose 20 pounds in the first week. If the individual consistently takes that pill each week after the first they will lose 5 pounds. The advertisement was definitely an Appeal to Authority. The people passing by in their cars would not know if the smiling person was a real doctor or maybe he was just playing dress up. But since he had on the white lab coat we assume he's a doctor. We tend to believe doctors. That's why we take the medicines they prescribe to us when we are sick. That is also why so many advertisements contain doctors boasting products for the public.
Second, when my friends declare the best sushi joint around the bay was on the outskirts of San Francisco. Since, I haven't been to that restaurant before that automatically makes them my experts. So I would ask what food I should order when I am there and what I should not order. Yet, again that is a bad appeal to authority. What if my friends' taste preferences are different from mines. What they order maybe too spicy or too sour for me. Or what if my friends regard sushi as only California Rolls and nothing else. For me, personally, I like raw fish or sashimi on my sushi. Therefore, I would not consider that restaurant a good sushi joint if they are only good for California Rolls. That's why word of mouth is a great way to attract people to businesses such as restaurants, small eat outs, clothing stores, food markets, and etc. If your friends tells you that a restaurant is good why wouldn't you trust them. They are your friends after all.
Alright, second post of the week. Done. [:
Your post about Bad Appeal to Authority was very creative! I loved the header that you posed before your explanation it was very imaginative! Appeal to authority is a very common fallacy. Simple ones can come from your mom, literally. She suposively thinks that everything she says is true just because she’s older and has experienced more. But it’s not always like that. Your example about the billboard is very common and makes it easy for people to relate to. I see them all the time and just because he’s got the white coat on doesn’t mean he knows what he’s talking about. This summer I interned at a dentist office and had to wear a uniform just as the assistants. It was funny because patients were actually asking me questions like I knew what was going on when in reality I was only there to shadow the dentist. I bet if I responded to the questions the patients would have believed me since I wore the uniform. Overall, I think your post was really informative! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHi ellacom, I felt that your post showed a severe understanding of the content fallacy, "Bad appeal to authority". Not only was your post filled to the brim with content but your writing was very clear and I could see that you knew what you were talking about. For example, I had a "lightbulb" moment when you were talking about how we automatically give appeal to images of people who are dressed in certain authoritarian attire. Simply because someone is dressed in a labcoat on tv doesn't mean they have a ph.D, and even if they did it doesn't mean that it was concentrated towards the field the product is used in. It's funny to find how easily we are able to see this content fallacy in real life and not even think about it as much until we read about it.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I like how you bolded lies within fallacies. You explained the definition of bad appeal to authority very well. I actually did my post on that topic as well and you seem to describe it better than I do. I totally agree that it happens everyday in our lives. We seem to listen to everything our friends says or the advisements because we are foolish people sometimes. I like the examples that you have because it is a very common everyday fallacy. The doctor is someone we always believe in because we all think that they know what is right for us. It is kind of scary that if the doctors give us poison saying that it is good for us, we will believe it because of his authority in our lives. Good post in general because it is very informative with good examples!
ReplyDeleteHey ellacom, I really enjoyed reading your examples of "bad appeal to authority" because I could definitely relate to your scenarios! I think that the best posts are ones in which all of us can visualize ourselves. I do agree that many people find themselves believing advertisements that have people such as doctors promoting there product. We don't even know if they are really doctors either, we just believe it! I find that really interesting since I do it myself. We think that just because someone is dressed a certain way that he/she are authority figures. You could fool anyone that way really. In the movie, "Catch Me If You Can," Leonardo Dicaprios character dresses up as multiple characters such as a doctor or a pilot and fools people into believing he is an authority figure. He is promoting himself as something he is not and just because he wears the uniform people instantly believe that he's the real deal. This is kind of scary to think about. The fact they we believe certain things instantly without even checking to see if they have the credentials. Overall, good post and your definition for bad appeal to authority was great as well!
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