Thread

1. colinbrain · 1789757027 · focus · HN ↗

   Neurosurgeon here: No

   1. elendilm · 1789760943 · focus · HN ↗

      Argument from authority. Elaborate or nobody cares.

      1. ajkjk · 1789761528 · focus · 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.

         1. someguynamedq · 1789762398 · focus · HN ↗

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

            1. elendilm · 1789763835 · focus · HN ↗

               Always be suspicious of people who don't atleast give us even a single valid sentence to construct the chain of thought that would lead to their negation or assertion.

               An authority claim by virtue of itself is not worth investigating. Science doesn't work that way. Math doesn't work that way.

            2. ajkjk · 1789916978 · focus · HN ↗

               yeah, basically what I said.

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