Discussion Prompt: Appeals to authority
One of the most common and important argument form 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 sources 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. ?
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.?
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? 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 misled by deceptive ones?
Guided Response:In addition to your original post, post a minimum of three responses for a total of at least four posts. At least two responses must be to your classmates; the third response could be to a classmate or your instructor. Be sure to post on three separate days throughout the week to promote further engagement and discussion. Each response should be a minimum of 75 words
Respond to this discussion post #1:
Examples of appeals to authority:
Very strong:
Oprah Winfrey claims WW (aka Weight Watchers) helped her lose weight and keep it off.
Very weak:
Received an ad in the mail claiming WW helps people lose weight.
Middle:
My doctor did some research, and WW works for losing weight.
Example when you or someone was fooled by trusting a source that turned out to be unreliable:
Believing friends that WW was so easy, and the weight just falls off. I joined WW, and the weight did not just fall off. I was a young, working mother of three and believed if I just counted my points for food intake that I would shred the pounds. I spent a lot of money, and my weight did not just fall off. They made it seem so easy and achievable. In fact, one had to work hard at it. Counting points, exercising, and attending meeting to achieve.
My first example is very strong because it was told by a celebrity that we all know and would believe. We seem to as a society to trust celebrities.
My second example was week because it is based on junk mail. We all get junk mail and usually throw it away. That is how mush we trust junk mail.
The third example was in the middle because it was the opinion of my doctor and of their research. I trust my doctor, but they are always giving me their own, personal advice.
Discussing appeals to authority in general, it is hard to determine which ones are reliable and trustworthy. In fact, one must do their own research to determine the credibility of the source. I find myself searching the web, books, asking friends and family members of the topic in hand. I find sometimes the best information id from someone close who has knowledge in the subject. Myself, I fall into a to much trusting category. I seem to believe a lot of social media the news on TV. Sometimes I think I am too gullible. Many times, I must sit back and think about the topic before responding.
The proper amount of skepticism depends on the person. It is good to double check information and look for the source of the information. Do our own research and compare the information given. We must remember that all sources are not reliable, people like to mislead others and give false facts. I recommend taking your time, reading, and researching the information and be happy and content in your findings.
For response #2:
Examples of Appeal to Authority:
1.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks heart disease as one of the leading causes of death in the US.
2.According to the researchers at the University of California, money doesn’t make one happy.
3.My father said the vaccines are not safe.
Appeal to authority is one of the most common argument forms. The first statement, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks heart disease as one of the leading causes of death in the US.” this statement uses the opinion of a credible organization as evidence of the claim. My second statement is, “according to the researchers at the University of California; money doesn’t make one happy.”While this statement appeals to authority by using the opinions of researchers at the University of California, it is not as strong as the first example because the researchers are not identified, and their credibility cannot be verified. Lastly, a weak appeal to authority would be as follows: “My father said the vaccines are not safe.” This appeal to authority is weak because it uses the opinions of the speaker’s father without clarifying whether he is a credible source on vaccine safety. Appeal to authority can easily be misleading. I nearly fell victim to a fraud scheme in which my bank was involved. Luckily, the bank learned of the scheme and released a statement on their official page. I have also tried different diet pills due to the advertisement promoting rapid weight loss. My co-worker lost weight, and I ended up getting very sick and didn’t lose any.
Using appeal to authority entails claiming that something is true because another person believed to be an authority on the topic. It is therefore critical to verify the reliability and trustworthiness of sources before believing them. People tend to trust some sources more than others. For example, celebrities are trusted as credible sources even on subjects they know very little about. A record-holder athlete is not necessarily knowledgeable about the proper nutrition, but when he claims some food is appropriate, the audience will believe him. Before trusting sources, we need to evaluate their claims against what other authorities in the subject believe.
Response #3
Examples of appeal to authority:
1) To maintain good health and hygiene, youth should always brush and floss twice a day, and the same message is for all age groups.
2) To retire comfortably at the age of 65, you should start contributing to your 401k in your early 20s so that you can have a safe and secure future financially.
3) politicians have the responsibility to the country but offers welfare which does not help with eliminating poverty
Example when you or someone was fooled by trusting a source that turned out to be unreliable:
An example of this is pyramid schemes and how influencers promote earning enough of an income to support your family.
To know which sources are reliable and trustworthy, the data or statistics why are discussing should come someone who has tested and proven the information to be accurate. This person should also be someone who has been reviewed, received feedback from the past on their findings, and did secondary research. An example of a type or source to which people are too trusting would be a public announcement by an authority figure, like the prime minister, where everyone believes and not one asks for proof. Also, when a website does not provide sources that back up the information that is discussed.
People might learn to display the proper amount of skepticism and trust concerning the sources if the writer’s experience and records can be counted for. People on social media tend to trust the sources they find through sharing on such a platform. A way to overcome this is to make sure the source is coming from someone reliable and trustworthy. The person who shared the information and the writer of the source and website it comes from. To make sure the sources are the best and not misled by deceptive ones is to make sure it has the proper sources/citations to back up whatever information they are trying to say. This will endure there is no plagiarism and will reflect the right amount of research has been done.
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