Motte and Bailey, VIII

One more “fallacy” that isn’t always, and then I’m done being obnoxious.  (I could keep on, you know.  There are actually very few “fallacies” that aren’t sometimes honest and rational argumentative moves.)

The appeal to authority.

Of course, there are silly versions of appeals to authority.

“Everyone know that …”

“Nobody does that …”

“The pope says …”

“The CDC says …”

“My dad told me …”

“Mom always used to …”

“Experts say …”

Actually, it depends, doesn’t it, on the context?  If you’re talking to a fallen-away Catholic and you preface with “the pope says,” you are committing a fallacy, at least from their point of view.  Fuggedabout what the pope said.  Ditto the CDC if you’re talking to a Rush baby.  Mileage of your mom and dad will vary depending on the audience.  I recommend staying away from “Everybody” and “Nobody” altogether, but maybe that’s just me?

On the other hand, if you’re in an argument with a fellow Catholic discussing an area of Catholic doctrine, then what “the pope says” is actually relevant, or at least potentially so.  The appeal to his authority, in the context of determining what his institution teaches, is reasonable.  And talking to a health-conscious progressive in modern America about what the CDC says about social distancing and masks is also reasonable.

“But but but but but,” you say, “these things are actually true or false.  The pope could be wrong!  The CDC could be wrong!  Doesn’t that matter?”

Yes, mon freres, it matters.  But if you happen to agree with the authority, and your interlocutor happens to agree, then you both agree that the appeal to the authority is legitimate, and it would be silly to pretend otherwise just because there are a cartload of other folks out there who find the authority illegitimate, n’est-ce pas?

This is quite different, of course, from saying that you should pretend to accept an “authority” or “expert” in whom you don’t believe because your interlocutor accepts them as legitimate, and the “authority/expert” happens to make a point that helps you in the moment.  That’s intellectually dishonest—and it may come back to bite you—but mostly it’s intellectually dishonest.  Don’t do that, s’il vous plait?