Hi there, internet commenter.
You've been sent a link to this video
because someone is concerned that you might not
be arguing your case to your utmost ability.
They're concerned you might have used a fallacy
to make an important point, thus defeating your own claim.
The fallacy they're concerned you might have used
is the authority fallacy.
The authority fallacy holds that because someone
in a position of assumed authority has said something,
that thing must be true.
However, the authority fallacy is just as important for what
it isn't.
It isn't meant to defeat statements made by experts
or by scientific consensus.
Saying that global warming is true and man-made
because the vast majority of scientists
that study it produce evidence that support this claim
is not an example of the authority fallacy.
Neither is stating, for instance,
that all medical technology is blind to race
based on Lundy Braun's exhaustive research
of the spirometer.
The scientific community and experts in their field of study
are authorities.
The authority fallacy applies this level
of respect for authority to people
who don't actually possess it.
The firsthand accounts of our friends, family members,
and coworkers do not constitute authority and therefore truth,
unless, of course, they also happen to be experts.
For example, Mike and Straw Mike are talking
about automobile manufacturing.
Whoa, Korean cars in America are so cheap.
I wonder how they do that.
Well, my uncle is a mechanical engineer.
And he says that it's because they use terrible, cheap parts.
You're literally trading money for safety.
Straw Mike's Uncle might be an engineer, and that's awesome.
But it doesn't necessarily give him the authority
to talk about the construction of certain parts in vehicles.
This is an authority fallacy, unless it turns out
Straw Mike's uncle is an independent researcher
conducting a peer-reviewed study on the international automobile
industry and its effects on safety.
The authority fallacy trades actual points
for external non-expert anecdotes,
the plural of which you might have heard is not data.
Your uncle seems like a really cool guy,
but I bet you can win this argument without him.
I hope this description of the authority fallacy
has been helpful.
Happy conversing.