Auktoriteetilleen

Auktoriteetilleen is a neologism used in Finnish-language discourse to describe a rhetorical and sociopolitical pattern in which arguments, policies, or actions are justified primarily by appeals to authority rather than independent evidence. The term is used to analyze how legitimacy is constructed through references to institutions, officials, or established norms, rather than through data or argument.

Etymology and formation: The form is built from auktoriteetti (authority) with the allative suffix -lle, combined with a possessive element to convey “to the authorities.” It is described as a Finnish morphological construction that appears in contemporary discourse as a label for a specific argumentative posture.

Usage and contexts: Auktoriteetilleen is commonly employed in political commentary, media analysis, and sociolinguistic writings to tag statements or policies that rely on authority for justification. Example usage might frame a policy as being defended through auktoriteetilleen rather than through empirical evidence or transparent reasoning.

Relation to other concepts: The term relates to the broader idea of appeal to authority (argumentum ad verecundiam) but emphasizes the discursive strategy and communicative stance rather than a formal logical fallacy alone. It is discussed in studies of political communication and rhetoric within Finnish-language scholarship.

Reception and critique: Some writers view auktoriteetilleen as a useful descriptive tool for examining contemporary rhetoric; others caution that it can be pejorative or dismissive, potentially obscuring legitimate institutional considerations. See also: appeal to authority; legitimation; Finnish political discourse.