APPEAL to AUTHORITY

.......... it is, entirely possible that the opinion of a person or institution of authority is wrong; therefore the authority that such a person or institution holds does not have any intrinsic bearing upon whether their claims are true or not.

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That's pretty self evident I would think but you here it every day in both it's positive form and it's negative form.

It's positive form might be

Because the Bible says so.
or
Jesus said it, I believe it, that's the end of it
or
(this is a particular favorite of mine.)
.
Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: .

Brilliant isn't it?

That might actually hold some type of record for the greatest number of appeals to authority in the least number of words. Let us count the ways.

1. Multiple Studies. (appeal to authority) ....yeah, so? Just because a lot of people say something makes it right? It Hmmm. Who paid for those studies? Would they still have been paid if they'd said otherwise?

2. Published in peer-reviewed . (appeal to authority) Just because it's written down means it's true? Because it's reviewed by peers?

3. 97% or more . See point number one. That's actually a lie

4. actively publishing see point number two.

5. climate Scientist (appeal to authority)

6. agree (see number one), or as my momma used to say "If all of your friends were to (play in traffic, slit their throats, eat grass, do drugs, french kiss a rattlesnake, shake hands with a chainsaw , etc etc,...momma was very inventive) , would you do it too just to be part of the crowd?"

The reverse is also true. Just because a person is NOT an authority doesn't make him wrong.

And the corollary. An expert is only an expert in his own field. Once he delves beyond his area of specialization he's just another joe-sixpack.

Another corollary : Lawyers and Actors are trained to lie. Why believe anything they say?

Which is in itself a form of reverse appeal to authority. It's possible that a TV Actor could tell they truth. Or a lawyer...
or a politician?

Naww....not a politician...surely. They are the exception that proves the rule. If their lips are moving they are lying.

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I hope you enjoyed this
Yarn

.
Perhaps you might also enjoy
Other Books
that I have written.
.
AND
.
Follow me @everittdmickey
.
That's my Blog
in which I pontificate on Technology,
Philosophy, Religion,Politics, Economics
and occasionally
ShantyBoats
.
In my Blog I write about,
and hopefully engage my readers in discussions about,
the possible lifestyles that we will encounter after
TEOTWAWKI happens.
.
It WILL happen, one way or another,
probably something in between.
One thing is for sure and for certain though,
the world will NOT remain the same.
.
So Come on Down!
Sit a spell.
I got the Coffee on.

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The Hobo Picture is a Public Domain image from
Samantha at the Worlds Fair
by Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley)
Illustrated by
Baron C. De Grimm published by
Funk and Wagnall's Company 1893
Unless noted
All other Illustrations are from
Pixabay

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