Fallacy:Appeal to authority

An appeal to authority is a form of argument in which the opinion of an authority on a topic is used as evidence to support an argument.

Often used when a layman attempts to make a scientific-argument, without the knowledge, information or capability to understand the content of the scientific argument.

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Example:

"Fossil records and Geological data suggest that a comet impact caused the mass-extinction of the dinosaurs."

"But Prof. Weinstein said that it was aliens, and he's a Palaeontologist."