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There are three different ways to complete the same "Appeal to Authority" syllogism.
Here's the way that Wikipedia completes it:
- 1 Most of what authority A has to say on subject matter S is correct.
- 2 A says P about subject matter S.
- 3 Therefore, P is correct.
...............
Here's the way that a certain brand of grad student -- the contemptuous species, we mean -- dismisses all reference to any authority that is out of favor with him:
- 1 All of what authority A has to say on subject matter S is believed to be correct -- but only by mind-numbed robots who have fewer than 90 college credits.
- 2 A says P about subject matter S.
- 3 Therefore, the mind-numbed robots assume that P is correct.
- 4 Those who have been to college -- > are safe to assume that P is either incorrect or saying something we already knew.
..............
Here's the way that Dr. D, and he assumes 98% of SSI readers, actually listen to Eric Wedge, Jack Zduriencik, Bill James, Geoff Baker and their ilk:
- Most of what authority A has to say on subject matter S has been worthy of consideration.
- A says P about subject matter S.
- Therefore, if we hadn't yet given P its due consideration, we may have overlooked something.
- We should be alert to what A is saying. Hey, what's on Baker's twitter account today?
...............
I don't assume that Bill James is correct about everything. In fact, I've observed that he's wrong -- or seems wrong to me -- about a good number of things. But I'm also aware of the fact that James, uniquely, has made a systematic attempt to spend his life open-mindedly searching for truth in baseball. It's not his sky-high IQ that has earned him the chair he sits in. It is the fact that he's uniquely open-minded and unbiased.
So I want to know what he has to say.
................
Right now he's talking about the best way to watch spring training, of which he has seen 50 or so years' worth. Here is his comment on it:
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When we ask the question, "Can Jesus Montero hit cleanup in the big leagues?", we ask lots of people:
- Brian Cashman
- Jack Zduriencik
- Roger Hansen
- Tim Kjurkian
- Our local bloggers
You know who we never ask? Who is in the best position to know whether Jesus Montero can hit cleanup?
Eric Wedge and Jack Zduriencik are SURREPTITIOUSLY "asking" this question of the principals involved. Say, Jason Bay. Jason, what do YOU think about whether you can drive in 90 runs this year?
What do you REALLY think about it, Jason? Let's see the cut you take at this 1-2 pitch. Are you fighting a rearguard action, trying not to embarrass yourself? Or are you out there taking the fight to the enemy?
Think about it. We bloggers are not asking that question. Eric Wedge IS asking that question. He's down there figuring out who DOES think they can hit big league pitching in 2013.
Right now, most of them believe that.
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