How to Coach Yourself and Others Beware of Manipulation | Page 114

17. Exploiting position of authority
You are far more likely to be persuaded by someone you like or by someone who is in an authority
position. For example: A police officer tells you, “It’s legal for me to search your apartment right
now.” Since he’s a police officer, you may feel inclined to believe he must be telling the truth, even
though he never showed you a search warrant.
An other way to exploit authority are Testimonials (also Questionable Authority, Faulty Use of
Authority): A fallacy in which support for a standpoint or product is provided by a well-known or
respected figure (e.g. a star athlete or entertainer) who is not an expert and who was probably well paid
for the endorsement (e.g., “Olympic gold-medal pole-vaulter Fulano de Tal uses Quick Flush Internetshouldn’t you?"). Also includes other false, meaningless or paid means of associating oneself or one’s
product with the ethos of a famous person or event (e.g. “Try Salsa Cabria, the official taco sauce of
the Vancouver Winter Olympics!”) This is a corrupted argument from ethos.
One of the most valuable lessons in human life, in my opinion, is learning to trust yourself and listen to
your inner voice, rather than anybody else's. By uncritically accepting the beliefs and opinions of other
people (we know how common it is for children to do t