Question

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MicroBeta

A Genetic Fallacy?

Let's say I'm discussing a very well known test of gravity such as the Cavendish Experiment.  It is very well understood, is performed by physics students in lab classes every semester, and has scientific consensus.

The rebuttal is something like: 

"if you didn't perform it yourself then you can't say the results are accurate or even real"

It is a genetic fallacy to say you weren't there so you can't know?

asked on Thursday, May 05, 2022 07:23:16 AM by MicroBeta

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Answers

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Bo Bennett, PhD
3

I would say that it is a false statement more than anything. This claim assumes that the average person is better at conducting a scientific experiment and interpreting data than people who do this for a living, which is not the case.

As for the genetic fallacy , I do think one can make a good argument that this also applies.
answered on Thursday, May 05, 2022 07:28:00 AM by Bo Bennett, PhD

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Ed F writes:

Alternatively it assumes we can’t rely on what others have determined, or that what they determined had been reported correctly.  
Although we shouldn’t believe everything we hear (and should use discretion in deciding what to accept), it is not unreasonable or fallacious to rely on second-hand “knowledge”.   If it were, then mankind would never have advanced beyond the caveman days because everyone would have to discover everything themselves.  . 

posted on Thursday, May 05, 2022 10:19:36 AM
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TrappedPrior (RotE) writes:

It's also just a nonsensical claim, since we rely on second-hand knowledge all the time. So the person putting forward the assertion is almost definitely going to find themselves in violation of their own statement.

posted on Thursday, May 05, 2022 10:55:04 AM