Dallautorità

Dall’autorità, literally “from authority,” is a term used in rhetoric and logic to describe the practice of citing the opinion of an authority to support a claim. In English-language discussions this is commonly referred to as the appeal to authority or argumentum ad verecundiam. The Italian usage appears in philosophical, journalistic, and educational contexts to distinguish when citing an expert is appropriate from when it is used as a persuasive shortcut.

In its legitimate form, dall’autorità relies on relevant, credible expertise. It is appropriate to refer to authorities who have demonstrated expertise, use of evidence, and consensus within a field. For example, a medical advisory from a licensed clinician about a health intervention or a peer‑reviewed finding cited by researchers can strengthen an argument when accompanied by reasoning and data.

However, dall’autorità can become fallacious when the authority is not relevant to the topic, when the authority’s claim rests on prestige rather than evidence, or when there is insufficient corroborating data or substantial disagreement among experts. The fallacy often involves relying on an authority as the sole justification rather than evaluating empirical support.

Practically, evaluating dall’autorità involves checking the credentials and relevance of the cited authority, seeking corroborating evidence from primary sources, and considering the degree of consensus in the field. Transparency about sources and limitations helps prevent overreliance on authority and promotes critical appraisal.

See also: appeal to authority, argument from authority, authority bias, epistemology.