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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0041 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Appeal to Authority

It's true because authority says so.

Relevance Fallacy·Logical Fallacy·Grade B·stub· enriching…

Scientific Definition

It's true because authority says so.

Plain-English Definition

It's true because authority says so.

Feynman Explanation

McKinsey recommends it, so we should do it. (No.)

Core Principle

It's true because authority says so.

Mechanisms

Psychological

It's true because authority says so.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Pending editorial review.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

McKinsey recommends it, so we should do it. (No.)

Examples

Everyday
  • Brand-name validation substitutes for first-principles thinking.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Outsourcing thinking to the consultancy with the better deck.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

Pending editorial review.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Outsourcing thinking to the consultancy with the better deck.
Amplifying Incentives
Outsourcing thinking to the consultancy with the better deck.
Org Failure Modes
Outsourcing thinking to the consultancy with the better deck.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Diagnostic Questions

Pending editorial review.

Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0041 · COG
Appeal to Authority
ATAHAd HominemATAppeal to Common SenseATAppeal to ConsequencesATAppeal to IgnoranceATAppeal to NatureATAppeal to NoveltyATAppeal to TraditionAFArgument from Incred…AFArgument from Repeti…BFBandwagon Fallacy

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.