The argument from authority (or lack thereof)

[[deleted user]]

In the natural sciences, arguing from authority is frowned on. But in the social, theological, and political arenas? Not so much.

http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2012/...

[Cora]

That's such a good article. I like the 'Dawkins is not a theologian' example. It has always annoyed me because the speaker's unstated (and unintended) premise is that only theologians can discern the existence of a god.

[James]

One the myths creationists like to believe is the death bed conversion of Darwin. The story says he was dying and he told one of his daughters he accepted Jesus and renounced his theory of evolution. There's no evidence he made this conversion and a cursory understanding of his bio would show how ludicrous it would be, but let's assume he did. So what? It's not relevant. It's a variation of appeal to authority. Evolution would still be true and this theory would explain why.

[M.]

Good article. Actually, the argument from authority is really weak, almost the weakest of all in my opinion (as weak as the argument from scripture), and I think Richard Dawkins has refuted it well in "The God delusion" mentioning that theology can hardly be called a field at all.

James wrote: "One the myths creationists like to believe is the death bed conversion of Darwin. The story says he was dying and he told one of his daughters he accepted Jesus and renounced his theory of evolutio..."

In the country where I was brought up and lived most of my life so far, almost no famous figure has escaped the death bed conversion allegations. From Stalin to John Paul II and even Einstein, every political, scientific or religious figure turns eventually to Islam. It usually has a strong effect on many people who don't ask about evidence too much and who don't want to indulge themselves within theories other than what's written in their scriptures being afraid that devil might crawl into their minds and poison them so they take such conversion stories as a proof of the fallibility of these theories. I've witnessed this behaviour not only from the Muslim majority but also from the minority of coptic Christians.