From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Fri Jul 26 2002 - 23:59:30 MDT
Louis writes
> > Usually, it so happens, someone's expertise becomes apparent
> > during the course of exchanges.
>
> It is only apparent, if one already knows the answer.
>
> If people are discussing a field that I know little about, then I want to
> know their credentials. I want to know up front who works in this field,
> who dabbles, and who is just an arm-chair quarterback.
An interesting difference in our approaches, which would go some
way towards explaining some other differences. Actually, when
I'm first reading something---most of the time---I definitely
don't want to know the authoritativeness of the writer precisely
because I'm afraid that I'll give him or her too much credit.
Or that I'll tend to be dismissive against unknown person's
carefully thought-out position. In other words, I prefer to
approach each argument in as unbiased way as possible, in a
sort of judicial frame of mind (when I attain it).
I have caught myself spotting "fallacies" in the writings of those
who I customarily disagree with, fallacies which weren't really
there on a careful second reading. Likewise, I suspect that I'm
overly generous to those I'm likely to agree with. If I were to
read an article by Dawkins, for example, it's not going to be so
easy to engage my critical faculties as it would should the author
be entirely unknown to me.
So I regard the author's credentials or "consider the source"---
say the affiliation of a web site---usually only after trying at
least to consider the argument on its own merits. And one
always has to be very careful too: reading Einstein's views
on quantum mechanics, or Eric Thompson's views on Mayan
decipherment, are misleading to say the least, even though
each was unchallengeably the greatest authority in the world
in their respective fields.
Yes, I do admit when reading an article, to consulting the reputation
or name of the author when I first start to get really suspicious
of the accuracy or base of his reliability. I certainly did that
when reading the spoof about the 96 year old grandmother beating
up all those security guards; my suspicions were confirmed just a
little when neither the author's name nor his newspapers struck me
as familiar nor of known reputation.
Lee
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