#140: Opinion Shopping, Clipboard of Authority & the Argument from Authority
3 Ideas in 2 Minutes on Critical Thinking and Authority
I. Opinion Shopping
The concept of Opinion Shopping hails from the (for some) exciting world of accounting. It’s defined as “the practice of searching for an outside auditor willing to provide a favourable view of a company's financial condition”. Once they find someone willing to declare their books in order, their opinion shopping spree ends.
It’s not hard to see how this applies to the way we inform ourselves. Our reasoning is heavily motivated. We often start with a gut feeling and then do some research until we find an authoritative source that agrees with our preconceived opinion. Even worse, I’ve caught myself more than once scrolling through the comments on a controversial post until I found the one that reflected how I felt about the issue.
II. Clipboard of Authority
It’s no coincidence that the clipboard has become an unofficial symbol of power in storytelling and movies in particular. The so-called Clipboard of Authority is a well-known storytelling trope. It’s a great way to show the audience that a character is in control of something important. Grabbing a clipboard is an even better way for a protagonist to deceive the villains when infiltrating their compound.
In case it needs to be said, a clipboard alone doesn’t lend anyone authority. At least it shouldn’t. It may be obvious on screen: How could they be so naive? But then we turn around and fall for similar appeals to false authority in real life. Even if it’s only because a supposed authoritative source provides us with an opinion that feels convenient at the moment.
III. Argument from Authority
Cosmologist Carl Sagan was an authority in the field of science and critical thinking. He’s famous for compiling the so-called Baloney Detection Kit, which is why you can trust him when he says:
Arguments from authority carry little weight — ”authorities” have made mistakes in the past. They will do so again in the future. Perhaps a better way to say it is that in science there are no authorities; at most, there are experts.
—Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World
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Have a great week,
Chris
themindcollection.com