Argument From Authority Quotes

“One of the great commandments of science is, 'Mistrust arguments from authority'. (Scientists, being primates, and thus given to dominance hierarchies, of course do not always follow this commandment.)”
― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

“A central lesson of science is that to understand complex issues (or even simple ones), we must try to free our minds of dogma and to guarantee the freedom to publish, to contradict, and to experiment. Arguments from authority are unacceptable.”
― Carl Sagan, Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium

“How can I argue with someone who makes no sense?”
― Amy Tan, The Kitchen God's Wife

“People give ear to an upstart astrologer who strove to show that the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon. Whoever wishes to appear clever must devise some new system, which of all systems is of course the very best. This fool wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but the sacred scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, not the earth.”
― Martin Luther, The Table Talk of Martin Luther

“Locus ab auctoritate est infirmissimus. [The argument from authority is the weakest.]”
― Saint Thomas Aquinas, S. Thomæ Aquinatis Summa Theologica, Vol. 1: Diligenter Emendata; Nicolai, Sylvii, Billuart, Et C.-J. Drioux, Notis Ornata; Pars Prima, 1 74 (Classic Reprint)

“Whereas the ancients held that garlick hindred the attraction of the Loadstone, he contradicts this by experience; but I cannot think the ancient Sages would write so confidently of that which they had no experience; of, being a thing so obvious and easie to try; therefore I suppose they had a stronger kind of garlick, then is with us”
― Alexander Ross