Asserting that a proposition is true solely on the authority making the claim. It is often the case that those who blindly follow an authority ignore any counter-evidence to the authority’s claim, no matter how strong. The authority could be anyone or anything, including parents, a coach, a boss, a military leader, a document, or a god.
Examples:
- During the Nazi war crimes trials at Nuremberg after World War II, Nazi war criminals were charged with genocide, mass murder, torture, and other atrocities. Their defense: “I was only following orders.”
Synonyms: blind obedience, the “team player” appeal, nuremberg defense, divine authority fallacy [form of], appeal to/argument from blind authority