Post by Johnny Gotham on Apr 28, 2005 0:58:32 GMT -5
I've come across many atheist websites that attempt to justify their positions with quotes from famous dead folks like Mark Twain, and Thomas Paine. These website have the bumper sticker mentality that any short blurb that sounds clever enough is all that it takes to change someone's fundamental beliefs. Worse still are the poor souls who take some dead guy's quote and make it into their life philosophy.
There are many reasons why this is not a good idea. First of all just because someone is famous and/or dead enough to sound authoritative does not mean their every zinger is a stroke of genius. This is the logical fallacy appealing to authority (argumentum ad verecundiam) that confuses fame with wisdom. Just because a person's popular, doesn't mean they're right. For all you know they could be liars, or ignorant, or just plain wrong.
Consider:
(i) the person is not qualified to have an expert
opinion on the subject,
(ii) experts in the field disagree on this issue.
(iii) the authority was making a joke, drunk, or
otherwise not being serious
Second, many people choose to substitue famous quotes for an actual argument. Again, if you can't back up the blurb with reason, then you have no case, just the stale words of some popular person.
Third, mere human reason is not the final authority, God is. If man says something that contradicts God, who do you think wins? Face it, God is a lot smarter than you or I (espically I), that's why the Bible has always been proved true (in light of all the evidence). Most critics of the Bible get their ideas from selfishness or ignorance of the truth. They don't believe because they don't want to obey God, so they fabricate excuses to use in their defense.
Besides, you can find any quote that "proves" something if you look hard enough. So please, if you're going to quote some fmous dead guy, at least back it up.
There are many reasons why this is not a good idea. First of all just because someone is famous and/or dead enough to sound authoritative does not mean their every zinger is a stroke of genius. This is the logical fallacy appealing to authority (argumentum ad verecundiam) that confuses fame with wisdom. Just because a person's popular, doesn't mean they're right. For all you know they could be liars, or ignorant, or just plain wrong.
Consider:
(i) the person is not qualified to have an expert
opinion on the subject,
(ii) experts in the field disagree on this issue.
(iii) the authority was making a joke, drunk, or
otherwise not being serious
Second, many people choose to substitue famous quotes for an actual argument. Again, if you can't back up the blurb with reason, then you have no case, just the stale words of some popular person.
Third, mere human reason is not the final authority, God is. If man says something that contradicts God, who do you think wins? Face it, God is a lot smarter than you or I (espically I), that's why the Bible has always been proved true (in light of all the evidence). Most critics of the Bible get their ideas from selfishness or ignorance of the truth. They don't believe because they don't want to obey God, so they fabricate excuses to use in their defense.
Besides, you can find any quote that "proves" something if you look hard enough. So please, if you're going to quote some fmous dead guy, at least back it up.