TITLE: What part do arguments from authority play in mathematical reasoning?
QUESTION [8 upvotes]: In forming your answer you may choose to address any or all of the following aspects of the question:

Descriptive.  What part do arguments from authority actually play in mathematical reasoning?
Normative.  What part do arguments from authority ideally play in mathematical reasoning?
Regulative.  What if any discrepancies exist between the actual and the ideal and what if anything should be done about them if there are?

REPLY [10 votes]: You could interpret your question outside of the context of mathematical proof. It seems like your question was phrased broadly-enough to allow this interpretation. 
There are what are perhaps the most subjective aspects of mathematical reasoning:
1) What questions do we consider important? 
2) What results do we consider worthy of publication? 
3) What do we consider worthy of teaching our students? 
I suppose this is a type of metamathematical reasoning.  But arguments from authority frequently get used in these situations.  
Especially in grad school I seemed to encounter far too many people with fantastical images of certain mathematicians, frequently fields-medalists, sometimes with little  understanding of what these people have accomplished.  The further I get from grad school the less of this I see, thankfully.