From: Blunderov (squooker@mweb.co.za)
Date: Mon Sep 29 2003 - 16:07:45 MDT
Kalkor
> Sent: 29 September 2003 2325
[Blunderov] Well, Brother Kalkor, you have set me a googling and
abracadabra! The mighty internet produced at my instant behest:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_authority
<q>
An '''appeal to authority''', '''argument from authority''' or
'''argumentum ad verecundiam''' is one method of obtaining
[[propositional knowledge]]. Some examples of appeals to authority:
* Referring to the philosophical beliefs of Aristotle.
* Quotes from religious books such as the Bible.
* Claiming that some crime is morally wrong because it is illegal.
* Referencing scientific research published in a peer reviewed journal.
* Believing what one is told by one's teacher.
Sometimes an appeal to authority is regarded as a logical fallacy. This
is the case when a person presenting a position on a subject mentions an
authority who also holds that position, but may not be an authority in
that area. For instance, the statement "Arthur C. Clarke recently
released a report showing it is necessary to floss three times daily"
would be unlikely to impress many people, as Arthur C. Clarke is not an
expert on dental hygiene. Much of advertising relies on this logical
fallacy, for example when Michael Winner promotes car insurance, despite
having no expertise in the field of car insurance.
Citing a person who ''is'' a recognized authority in the field is likely
to carry more weight. In the middle ages, roughly from the 12th century
to the 15th century, the philosophy of Aristotle became firmly
established dogma, and referring to the beliefs of Aristotle was an
important part of many debates. Aristotle's thought became so central
to the philosophy of the late Middle Ages that he became known in Latin
as ''Ille Philosophus'', "'''''the''''' philosopher," and quotations
from Aristotle became known as ''ipse dixits'' ("He, himself, has
spoken.").
Authoritarian ethics is the ethical theory by which one attains ethical
knowledge from an authority, for example from a God or from the law.
The bandwagon fallacy can be viewed as a special case of an appeal to
authority, where the authority is public opinion.
</q>
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_review
<q>
Peer review (known as refereeing in some academic fields) is a scholarly
process used in the publication of manuscripts and in the awarding of
money for research. Publishers and agencies use peer review to select
and to screen submissions. At the same time, the process assists authors
in meeting the standards of their discipline.
Table of contents
1 How it works
2 Recruiting Referees
3 Different Styles of Review
4 Non-idealities
5 Peer Review and Software Development
How it works
Peer review subjects an author's work or ideas to the scrutiny of two or
more others who are experts in the field of the subject at hand.
Referees return a text to its author with edits, annotation and
suggestions for improvement. Typically referees remain anonymous to the
authors and are not selected from among the authors' close colleagues,
relatives or friends.
A chief rationale for peer review is that rarely is just one person, or
one closely working group, able to spot every mistake or flaw in a
complicated piece of work. Therefore showing the work to various others
increases the odds that every weakness will be identified--and with
advice perhaps fixed. The anonymity and independence of reviewers
fosters unvarnished criticism and discourages cronyism in granting and
publication decisions.
<snip>
</q>
Best Regards
Blunderov
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