Tag Archives: authority

Why was Socrates Put to Death?

At Slate, David Auerbach summarizes philosopher Rebecca Goldstein’s take on why Socrates died: Goldstein [in her new book, Plato at the Googleplex] argues that Socrates was ultimately executed because he deferred to no one’s authority and tore down Athens’ idealized … Continue reading

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Father Knows Best: Charles Sanders Peirce on Using Authority to Fix Belief

In 1877 the great scientist and logician, Charles Sanders Peirce, wrote a mercifully short, but not simplistic, essay for Popular Science Monthly titled, “The Fixation of Belief.” It’s a stunner. I stumbled across it in a 1964 anthology of philosophy essays, … Continue reading

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Critical Thinking Tip #4: Distinguish Experts from Authorities

Experts know more about their subject of expertise than you do. So, if you discover that you possess a view that contradicts the vast majority of experts, it’s more likely than not that they’re right and you’re wrong. In determining … Continue reading

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Knowing When to Be Quiet is a Part of Growing Up

Translation: Get with the program, shut up, conform, and obey. In my whisper voice, can I recite the First Amendment?

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Demystify Me? Demystify You!

Demystify this! And this: Be ye Ayatollah or Maharishi, Pope or Protestant clergy, should you pronounce from behind your guru gown, prepare to meet the skeptic’s frown:

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Living Without Miracle, Mystery, and Authority?: OZ Never Did Give Nothing to the Tin Man (That He Didn’t Already Have)

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Colorful Powerbust: Caesar at the Huntington Library, CA

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