Question

Which statement is an example of an appeal to authority fallacy?

a. Join the millions of people around the world who have discovered the benefits of our weighted blankets
b. The Olympic athlete personally uses our weighted blanket and says it is a scientifically advanced product
c. Anyone who says our weighted blankets are ineffective clearly believes that getting good sleep is unnecessary
d. You can either buy our weighted blanket or resign yourself to tossing and turning every night

Answer 1

b. The Olympic athlete personally uses our weighted blanket and says it is a scientifically advanced product

This statement is an example of an appeal to authority fallacy because it relies on the authority of an Olympic athlete to promote the product without providing scientific evidence to support the claim that the weighted blanket is "scientifically advanced." The argument assumes that because the athlete endorses the product, it must be effective, which is not necessarily true.