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Question About AuthorityI know that using the phrase "experts say that," is the anonymous authority fallacy. I was wondering, when using someone's statement as evidence for a claim, is there any standard to determine who is a legitimate expert?
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| asked on Sunday, Dec 25, 2016 02:59:28 PM by The Dudeman | |
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Claims are constantly being made, many of which are confusing, ambiguous, too general to be of value, exaggerated, unfalsifiable, and suggest a dichotomy when no such dichotomy exists. Good critical thinking requires a thorough understanding of the claim before attempting to determine its veracity. Good communication requires the ability to make clear, precise, explicit claims, or “strong” claims. The rules of reason in this book provide the framework for obtaining this understanding and ability.
This book / online course is about the the eleven rules of reason for making and evaluating claims. Each covered in detail in the book.
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There is no standard, per se. Your example would be an example of the anonymous authority fallacy (who the hell are these "experts"). When you cite expert authority (which is not in itself, fallacious) then one must take into consideration:
1) the level of expertise of the source 2) if the source is really an expert in the given topic 3) the way the response is phrased. For example, the following go from most fallacious to legit. My grandmother says that chicken soup is great for colds, therefore, it must be. My doctor tells me that exercise keeps the immune system strong, therefore it does. My doctor tells me that exercise keeps the immune system strong, I trust his advice. |
| answered on Sunday, Dec 25, 2016 03:41:43 PM by Bo Bennett, PhD |
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