Wait a minute, guys. Isn't it difficult to have an argument for more than a few seconds without appealing to authority. After all: where did you get that statistic? Did you do the research yourself? An argument of the following form is an explicit appeal to authority, yet it is not a fallacy, is it? All statements by Donald Trump are true, Donald trump believes a great many immigrants are rapists and murderers, therefore a great many immigrants are rapists and murderers. The argument valid but wrong, only because it starts from a false premise.
So, if all arguments must eventually be based on premises derived from authorities, what separates appropriate and inappropriate appeals to authority? In adequate citation? Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology Clark University http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ -----Original Message----- From: Friam [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com] On Behalf Of Marcus Daniels Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2017 5:24 PM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] AI and argument "During the exchange, my friend committed https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/appeal-to-authority. I tried to stop them by calling out the fallacy. That didn't work. They accused me of condescension. [sigh] So, I asserted that I would counter-argue by *also* appealing to authority. And it worked! My friend acquiesced. As usual, the meta-ness of the discussion (appealing to authority while arguing about methods of arguing) was lost on everyone." But if they must appeal to authority, and so many people on all sides so often and so desperately want to, that authority could be a computer. At least there is some hope of persuading a computer a proposition is wrong and why. I can live with giving them what they want. Marcus ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
