Appeal to confidence

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Cogito ergo sum Logic and rhetoric

Key articles

Logical fallacy Syllogism Argument

General logic

Correlation does not imply causation Imprecision fallacy Appeal to accomplishment Falácia do holofote 地下室论证 Tontería

Bad logic

Uncertainty tactic Argumentum ad nauseam Moralistic fallacy Informal fallacy Four-term fallacy Appeal to trauma v - t - e

“”You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it.

—George Zimmer (Men's Warehouse CEO)

An appeal to confidence occurs when somebody's confidence in some fact is taken as proof of that fact. On the other hand, an appeal to unconfidence (also ad fidentia, against self-confidence) occurs when somebody's lack of confidence in some fact is taken as disproof of that fact. Either appeal ties confidence to authority and ties authority to truth.

It is an appeal to authority (or lack of authority), an informal fallacy, and a fallacious argument.

If the arguer additionally states something along the lines of "doesn't his confidence just lift your spirits?" or the inverse, it also qualifies as an emotional appeal.

Of note, it is related to the Dunning–Kruger effect.

Form

Appeal to confidence:

P1: A says Q.

P2: A says: "Trust me — I know what I'm doing!"

C: Q is true!

Or:

P1: A says Q confidiently

P2: Things said confidently are true.

C: Q is true!

Appeal to unconfidence:

P1: A says Q.

P2: A's shaking in their boots!

C: Q is false!

Or:

P1: A says Q unconfidiently

P2: Things said unconfidently are false.

C: Q is false!

External links

• Appeal to Confidence, Bruce Thompson's Fallacy Page
• Appeal to Authority, LogicWizard

See also

• Appeal to authority
• Con artist
• Emotional appeal