Argument from expert opinion

According to Einstein, we only use 10% of our brains.

After reconstruction, we can see that the conclusion is cited in the premise, so the argument form is delta (q is A because q is Z): “We only use 10% of our brains (a) is acceptable (A) because we only use 10% of our brains (b) is said by Einstein (Z)”.

The premise contains a reference to a third party, so the argument substance is ‘III’: “We only use 10% of our brains is acceptable because we only use 10% of our brains is said by Einstein (III)”.

The keyword EPISTEMICALLY AUTHORITATIVE describes the relationship between predicates Z and A. The argument lever can thus be formulated as “Being said by Einstein (Z) is EPISTEMICALLY AUTHORITATIVE for being acceptable (A)”.

Source

The following pamphlet refers to the well-known urban myth that Einstein said that we only use 10% of our brains.

Other examples

Notes

The argument from expert opinion, argument from testimony, argument from moral authority, and argumentum ad populum are all specific forms of what is traditionally known as the ‘argument from authority’. The first three types involve qualitative authority: epistemic authority (someone with the right knowledge), situational authority (someone in a position to know), and deontic authority (someone with proper moral authority). The argumentum ad populum, however, relies on quantitative authority. In practice, mixed variants can occur, such as when an argument is endorsed by “the majority of economic experts in the country”.