Ad

Verecundiam
Kevin Adams
Lindsay Florian
Phillips, Scott. Fallacy Poster. Digital image. My Meditations on Life. N.p.,
20 Dec. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.

Ad Verecundiam: the fallacy of

appealing to the testimony of
an authority outside his
special field. An appeal to
authority.

Now thats
fallacious!

George Washington
finished his vegetables,
do you think youre
better than George
Washington?

But George Washington did!

Calderone, Michael. "Brian Williams Under Fire Over His

Shifting Story Of Iraq Helicopter Attack." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
Lang, Brent. Brian Williams. Digital image. Brian Williams
Rips Lana Del Rey in Gawker Email; NBC Not Amused. N.p.,
16 Jan. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

The public believed Brian Williams story because they thought

that journalists always provide accurate information.

Neuroflexyn Website. Digital image.

Neuroflexyn. Neuroflexyn, 2015.
Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

Neuroflexyn-Research driven results!

Ad Verecundiam can sometimes be difficult to detect because at first appearance it can be

mistaken as an actual argument. People tend to believe statements made by those of a higher
authority. Take for example Neuroflexyn. At first, it sounds like a miracle drug! There are fantastic
benefits, no side effects, and extensive research that convinces consumers that its effective. Citing
sources like Scientific Magazine and the American Association of Psychopharmacology.
Neuroflexyn uses the fallacy to mislead consumers into believing that the drug is more renowned
than it actually is, giving a false sense of security. Although it is underhanded and tricky, it is very
effective in making the drug seem better than it is because we believe what scientists tell us.
Another example of Ad Verecundiam is found on the news. Brian Williams, former MSNBC news
anchor, used his trusted position to convince others that he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade
while flying over Iraq in a helicopter. The public didn't think twice about the extraordinary newscast
because prior to the incident, the news was known to be an honest source of information. It is
fallacious because people believed what he said. Not because he had any proof, but because he was
a trusted figure. Although it can be disguised, Ad Verecundiam is very much present in the outside
world, particularly in the media including advertisements. We must be careful because even though
it may appear to make sense, it is a misstep in logic. We should to think for ourselves rather than
just believe what authority figures lead us to believe.