One topic that caught my eye was Common Mistakes in Evaluating Premises: Bad Appeals to Authority. In this section of the book it discuss how we accept a claim because we believe the speaker. Authority is very powerful in a sense that we are able to tell lies and make others believe what we are saying. A lot of people believe in a claim because they believe or trust the speaker. In the book it states that we normally treat our friends as authority. I think that this is true because most of us do listen to what our friends have to say. My friends always suggest restaurants to eat for dinner or dessert. They always say how good it is and how I won’t be disappointed so I listen to them and go to the suggested restaurant or dessert place. Sometimes they are right and sometimes they are wrong. Being able to listen and agree with someone is sometimes good and it can sometimes be bad. It is good when the authority knows that he or she is doing and it is bad to listen when he or she does not know what he or she is doing. It is hard not to listen to the person wiser or older than you sometimes, but be cautious at whom you accept the truth from.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Week 6: D3
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I really liked your post about common mistakes in evaluating premises. When you talked about when people accept claims because they come from authority, I thought it was very true. It happens everyday. I respect my parents and believe mostly in what they say because they are older than me and have experienced more. This also can go wrong too. Sometimes they are wrong and I don’t know it but I’m forced to believe what they say since they are my authorities. This also goes for older siblings or teachers or just anybody older than me in general. I tend to believe everything they say because of the fact they’re older than me. It’s good to look up to them, but it is also a bad habit to stick to.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you explained how authority is very powerful. Some people feel like they have authority and will trick others into believing them. Your example of how friends sometime come off as an authority was a good one, because we often trust our friends. People tend to believe their friends until their claims are proven false. Your statement, “ It is good when the authority knows that he or she is doing and it is bad to listen when he or she does not know what he or she is doing,” was a little bit confusing to understand though. Maybe re-wording it or explain in more details would clear confusion. Your last statement about trusting someone wiser/older than you is a really common mistake too! I used to always believe my brothers because they were older than me -____- Overall, good post!
ReplyDeleteAuthority is very powerful especially like someone who is older than you,like your parents or a manager at your work. I liked how you added that trusting someone who is wiser and older than you is a common mistake. I grew up in a very traditional Vietnamese family with parents that are strict and raised me to never talk back, even if it is my opinions on something. There opinion will always be "right." So because they are older than me and wiser, i listen to what they have to say and their beliefs as well, but because they aren't from America, they're wrong on a lot of things, but i am forced to just listen to them. I grew up with an older brother as well and i believed everything he said to me when i was younger! bad idea! haha. Great job on your post! I enjoyed reading it.
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