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ajkjkyesterday at 7:58 PM3 repliesview on HN

really? conditional on them actually being neurosurgeon, I'd place a lot more stock on it than on a random headline based on their authority alone. So I, for one, care.

Argument from authority is a bad thing specifically when it's used to make incorrect claims on the basis of authority. But authority as a concept still has plenty of merit.


Replies

pixl97yesterday at 8:12 PM

Correct, but an argument from authority requires certification as an authority.

Otherwise I'm free to claim I'm an authority on your moms butthole.

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someguynamedqyesterday at 8:13 PM

Authority is a heuristic for which claims are worthy of investigation, not determining their truth

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elendilmyesterday at 8:40 PM

> Argument from authority is a bad thing specifically when it's used to make incorrect claims on the basis of authority.

Exactly. Thank you.

> I'd place a lot more stock on it than on a random headline based on their authority alone. So I, for one, care.

I would leave you to contemplate the meaning of what you yourself wrote.