Argumentum ad verecundiam is
Latin for, roughly, "
appeal to authority." It is a
fallacy and is usually used when the speaker is running out of solid ground in their argument very quickly.
Examples:
"
Isaac Newton was a
genius and believed in
god."
"
George W. Bush is a
governor and believes in
strict imprisonment regardless of the cost or
discrimination."
"
Bill Clinton is the
leader of the United States and commits
adultery."
"
Einstein was a
genius and believed in
god." (ed. note:
he didn't)
"
Bill Gates is the
richest man in the world and uses
Windows."
"
Linus Torvalds is one of the most well-known persons in the
computer world, and he uses
Linux."
Usually the speaker follows their
appeal to authority with a "
so it/he/she/they must be real/true/right/moral/the right choice" statement.
Many thanks to http://www.
infidels.org/news/atheism/logic.html.