4 ms·
Hey, this is a discussion forum, so can we please not appeal to authority here just to say (in so many words) "I don't care what your opinion on this linked art
by 0xCMP 9y ago
Hey, this is a discussion forum, so can we please not appeal to authority here just to say (in so many words) "I don't care what your opinion on this linked article is because he's an expert and you're not."
What's the point of discussion if you simply say "Oh, but they know more so just shut up"?
- mikojan 9y agoThere's nothing wrong with an appeal to authority in response to an appeal to authority.
- ionised 9y agoWhy not? How does a logical fallacy become okay if it is in response to the same logical fallacy?
- rosser 9y agoAppeals to authority aren't necessarily fallacious, if the authority being cited is actually an authority.
- benbreen 9y agoThanks for pointing this out. I appreciate the sentiment behind critiquing a blind reliance on authority but lately online I've seen a lot of knee jerk rejections of any authority which I find counter-productive at best. Surely we can agree that our presence on an online discussion forum doesn't obviate the fact that some people who have spent years professionally researching a topic are likely to have a stronger claim to knowing about it than those who haven't.