3 ms·

Appealing to authority is not wholly awful. In an instance of a low-risk decision (whether to trust an authority) it seems shitty for him to try to make this a

Appealing to authority is not wholly awful. In an instance of a low-risk decision (whether to trust an authority) it seems shitty for him to try to make this a lesson on it. If an Astronomer posts something to a bunch of people who know nothing about space and just like cool pictures, why taunt them with how they can't tell a zoomed-in chunk of fat from a sunspot?

s1artibartfast 4y ago
Alternatively, don't believe everything you read.
- diputsmonro 4y ago
  If we can't believe people who are experts in their field, who can we believe? That mindset damns the entire field of science communication and outreach Are we supposed to take the lesson that we should simply never believe anything? Just give up on the concept facts and objectivity and give in to the chaotic maelstrom? Or are we supposed to go out and build our own space telescopes to verify every piece of information for ourselves? Neither of those are tenable, we have to be able to trust some people some of the time. Frankly I think tricks like these just erode confidence in science and science communicators. How many people excitedly shared these cool space images with their friends, and now have to deal with the embarrassment of looking like a fool for trusting a legitimate authority? Are those people going to be as excited when the next batch of legit photos come out, or will they withdraw and lose their excitement for fear of being tricked again? You may laugh, but these kinds of experiences do determine people's, and society's, behavior. The goal of science communication is to educate and excite the public, and by extension, drive funding for new advancements. Smug gotchas like this actively impede that effort.
  - s1artibartfast 4y ago
    The answer is not to base your beliefs off of every tweet that comes across your feed. Don't buy in fully to every rumor you hear. If it is too much effort to form an educated opinion about something, you don't need to form an opinion at all

s1artibartfast 4y ago

Alternatively, don't believe everything you read.

diputsmonro 4y ago
If we can't believe people who are experts in their field, who can we believe? That mindset damns the entire field of science communication and outreach Are we supposed to take the lesson that we should simply never believe anything? Just give up on the concept facts and objectivity and give in to the chaotic maelstrom? Or are we supposed to go out and build our own space telescopes to verify every piece of information for ourselves? Neither of those are tenable, we have to be able to trust some people some of the time. Frankly I think tricks like these just erode confidence in science and science communicators. How many people excitedly shared these cool space images with their friends, and now have to deal with the embarrassment of looking like a fool for trusting a legitimate authority? Are those people going to be as excited when the next batch of legit photos come out, or will they withdraw and lose their excitement for fear of being tricked again? You may laugh, but these kinds of experiences do determine people's, and society's, behavior. The goal of science communication is to educate and excite the public, and by extension, drive funding for new advancements. Smug gotchas like this actively impede that effort.
- s1artibartfast 4y ago
  The answer is not to base your beliefs off of every tweet that comes across your feed. Don't buy in fully to every rumor you hear. If it is too much effort to form an educated opinion about something, you don't need to form an opinion at all