Critical thinking
This topic shows you how to think critically, find hidden contexts and read between the lines
Appeals to vague, false or inappropriate authorities
Another type of manipulation appealing to emotions are appeals to vague, false or inappropriate authorities - persons or experts, institutions, certain facts or statistics. They often use arguments of authorities from some other area of expertise.
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet”
Explanation: Although Albert Einstein was a genius physicist, a Nobel Prize laureate, he was not an expert on nutrition or preserving living creatures. His opinion regarding vegetarianism thus cannot be considered relevant.
Explanation: This argument tries to refer to the authority of doctors, even we do not know who they are. In addition to that, one of 10 dentists has other opinion (even though we do not know why), thanks to what the statistics seem to be more credible. At the same time this manipulative technique is an example of appealing to quantity, which misuses our natural tendency to join the majority. Even though when we know that majority does not have to be right.
“Madonna wears great specs, I have to buy the same.”
Explanation: This is referring to a celebrity (argumentum ad populum). And celebrity cannot make mistakes, can she?