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I am concerned with the request for credentials. An argument should stand on its own, whether proposed by a credentialed person or not.
by cema 16y ago
I am concerned with the request for credentials. An argument should stand on its own, whether proposed by a credentialed person or not.
- masklinn 16y agoCredentials are still an indicator. Not of the intrinsic validity of the piece and its arguments, but of the author's standing and history. Can Joe Blow put forward a good argument on any subject? Absolutely. On the other hand, is it more likely you'll get a coherent (or even slightly relevant) argument on ecology from Joe Blow or from a trained biogeographer who's been working in the field for decades? It should not be used to dismiss the argument itself (if any was put forward), but if the article looks like a long rambling of generalizations, new-age insanity and groundless anthropomorphization... well in the second case you'll probably take a closer look to check if you've missed something (or if the author has gone completely off his rocker), whereas in the former you'll likely just drop the text and put the author on your blacklist.