Appeal to accomplishment

Cogito ergo sum Logic and rhetoric

Key articles

Logical fallacy Syllogism Argument

General logic

Problem of evil Genetic fallacy Nemmeno sbagliato Bait-and-switch Nothing to hide Rationalist taboo

Bad logic

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur Certum est quia impossibile est Continuum fallacy Shill gambit Informal fallacy Existential assumption v - t - e

An appeal to accomplishment (also known as appeal to success) is a logical fallacy that occurs when an argument is defended from criticism based upon the level of accomplishment of the individual making the argument, or when arguments are assessed based upon the success of the person making the argument.

The fallacy is an appeal to authority fallacy and a genetic fallacy, but it's also somewhat similar to the appeal to celebrity fallacy, as celebrities tend to be successful.

Form

P1: X is true.

P2: (unstated) P1 is very successful.

C: X is true.

P1: X is a bad argument.

P2: (unstated) The person who rejects X is not as successful as the one who made the argument.

C: X is true.

Problems

The success of an individual is completely irrelevant to the argument they are making. In fact, you can be successful, and still be incorrect when making a certain argument. For example, if a said crank argues against abiogenesis, but is a well-accomplished person, their stance against abiogenesis is invalid regardless of their accomplishments. Moreover, a response against abiogenesis denial isn't illegitimate merely because the person making it is less successful than the aforementioned crank.

See also

• Appeal to authority

• Appeal to celebrity

• Genetic fallacy