Horace Heffner wrote:
An appeal to authority, regardless the credentials of the authority, can only affect one's judgement of the /probability/ of truth. It is thus non-Aristotelian. It is a sales tool. It is not a logical argument, and thus can not be either valid or invalid, as the application of modus ponens or other logical inferences can be.
True, but it is useful. It can be compared to a rule of thumb. It is a way to make an evaluation of some sort in the absence of hard evidence. In business and many ordinary situations, you have to reach some sort of conclusion without real proof or a logical basis. You have use imperfect methods such as paying heed to authoritative opinions. It is better than nothing.
- Jed
