Authority
It is often illegitimate to simply appeal to an authority to settle an argument. It leads us to accept claims in the absence of adequate evidence. And it seems to be at odds with the core idea that the good logical and critical thinker always considers the reasons for his or her beliefs, always takes responsibility for evaluating the grounds for those beliefs.
But appeals to authority are central to legal reasoning.
Is there a special reason to think appeals to authority are legitimate in law even though they will normally not be in other contexts?
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