Logic 101 — Argument from Authority and Majority

These represent almost three-quarters of logical errors (and 89.4% of statistics are made up anyway), and once you become aware of them, you’ll notice them everywhere. Here’s an example designed to convince you of global warming. How many times have you seen something similar?

Most real scientists agree man-made global warming is real.

That’s the argument from majority (most all) and authority (scientists) errors, with the no true Scotsman fallacy thrown in as a bonus. Are those valid reasons to accept their idea? Consider other times “most scientists” agreed:

  • Evolution: Piltdown man
  • Medicine: Leaches
  • Geography: flat earth
  • Physics: Failure to recognize Quantum Mechanics

Each of those the “majority” of “authorities” believed. All turned out to be false.

The errors convince people because holding an advanced PhD somehow provides more credibility than a regular person.

And if most of those PhDs hold the same opinion? Bingo! The argument from majority authority.

In the scientific arena, scientists are supposed to use the scientific method, not base truth on the results of a poll, meaning the following:

  1. Make a guess
  2. Design an experiment to support the guess
  3. Examine the results
  4. If results don’t match the guess, modify or discard the guess

That’s frequently not the way it works. Rather, an idea becomes so deeply entrenched, even in the face of evidence against an idea, it remains held.

It doesn’t matter how clever your idea is, it doesn’t matter how many accept it, it doesn’t matter how many titles follow your name — if it doesn’t match with experiment, it’s wrong.

Truth doesn’t change and has no way of knowing if people believe it or not, or if PhD’s support it.

Truth is truth. Polls aren’t.

People believing (or not believing) truth doesn’t matter. If you’re in the minority, don’t worry about it, and if you’re in the majority, don’t take that as proof you’re right.

Bible “scholars” tell you they agree:

  • Moses didn’t write the first five books
  • Daniel didn’t write his book
  • Modern translations are superior to traditional ones

And the most absurd idea, the deutero-Isaiah hypothesis, a scholarly theory so laughably absurd and trivial to disprove it shows so-called scholars never read the book they claim to be an expert on.

Yet “most all” scholars accept that garbage. Doesn’t matter — it’s still a pile of stinky doggy poo.

Everybody (or nobody) can believe ridiculous ideas like the deutero Isaiah hypothesis. It’s still crap. Don’t fall for their agreement on a stupid theory. Their agreement only means they’re all wrong.

Be aware of the argument from majority and authority, as they’re frequently used by people who simply can’t defend their ideas.

Filed Under: Logic

Recommended Citation:
Yeager, Darrin "Logic 101 — Argument from Authority and Majority" (2023-11-23 14:45),
https://www.dyeager.org/post/logic-101-series-part3-argument-from-authority.html
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