Description

The ideal for learning is of course a personal exploration of the reasons, experiments, and observations behind each fact we believe.  But the reality of matter is that we must rely on others and trust what our teachers, scientists, and other experts tell us.  So when can we appeal to authority?  In short, when they have a good track record for accuracy?  You can also look at their education and relationship with the evidence that supports their claim.

Discussion Questions

• What would happen if we didn’t trust any experts?
• What is the logical fallacy of ‘Appeal to Authority’?  What are some examples?
• Are there any experts that are always right?  Are there any experts other people believe are always right?
• How can we know that an expert is an actual authority who we can rely on?

Keywords: authority, epistemology, logical fallacy, relationships, science, trust, psychology, critical thinking, biases