Authorities (continued)

How can you be sure that an authority is informed?

See if the authority has published any related books or articles. See if the authority has conducted any related research studies. See if the authority is up-to-date with current trends and studies.

What happens if you discover the cited authority is impartial and unbiased?

The argument is strengthened.

What happens if you discover that the cited authority is biased and partial?

The argument is weakened and begins to collapse.

What happens when a person cites a particular authority to back up the point he is trying to make, but after doing some research yourself, you discover that not all equal authorities agree?

The argument is weakened and begins to collapse.

The five questions that you should ask yourself to help determine whether or not a particular authority strengthens or weakens an argument are:

What authority is being appealed to? Is the authority credible? Is the authority informed? Do all equal authorities agree? Is the authority impartial?

You find yourself listening to an argument about the intelligence of various dog breeds, when the person making the argument states, "According to the Animal Planet, the German Shepherd is the smartest dog on earth." After doing a bit of research yourself, you find that the American Kennel Club says the Border Collie is the smartest dog. Because not all equal authorities agree, the argument in favor of the German Shepherd being the smartest dog:

begins to collapse