appeal to authority

In fact, because we know through Snopes’ own history they are hit and run defamation mercenaries for sale to the highest bidder, we couldn’t do anything but distance ourselves from these professional slanderers as a matter of conscience. We not only reject their endorsement, our legal team will ensure they never try to do it again. It was decided that our best option was to demand they call anything we publish correctly “false,” even retroactively, lest a “true” rating from these evil clowns suggest we are a willing part of their three-ring shit show; where ethical, professional journos are shot out of cannons into shark tanks and child molesters are fanned and held aloft obsequiously by a cheering Snopes caravan. […]

Is Scott Adams an authority to be trusted above your own research and free will? Is this the underlying message, or is it ego? The problem with fame is the ability to influence others often convinces these talents to believe their own sense of intellectual authority. Lots of us don’t know how to think think critically, or the pitfalls of common logical fallacies and psychological defense mechanisms like cognitive dissonance. Your author is not an authority on anything, but humbly asks you learn to trust yourself. I don’t want you to think like me, I just want you to think. […]