Authority as a Source of Information - Tony Lauck - Propeller Head Plaza

Propeller Head Plaza

Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

Authority as a Source of Information

In Reply to: generally ignore inference; they are chiefly concerned with perception and authority. As they do not cultivate much the habit of thinking and recollecting, oftentimes they tend to give more weight to authority than to perception. Often they reject perception irrationally under the pressure of authority.

I would not say, nor will anyone say, that perception is altogether free from defects. Nonetheless it is generally recognized as a valid source of knowledge, but people often disregard its value under the pressure of authority.

The influence of so-called authority exercises a greater spell on those who are averse to study, those who are disinclined to increase their rationalistic outlook, and those who have put a seal on their innate faculties of thinking and recollection. It is true that authority has to be accepted, as I have already said, but nothing in this world of relativity should be given undue importance or accepted as revelation or as unalterable, unquestionable truth.

Moreover, there is a still-greater defect in authority as a source of information. Apart from defects due to ignorance and defects due to changes in time, the person who is accepted as the source of authority may indeed be motivated by sub-human propensities. For instance, there may be dishonest persons who have exercised a tremendous influence over a particular community which has accepted them as authorities. In that event, such dishonest persons may do enormous harm to that community by imposing their capricious and defective mentality and other harmful tendencies on them. They may trample and crush those innocent, credulous people and fling them into the darkest dungeons." - P.R. Sarkar, 6 June 1982

Tony Lauck

"Perception, inference and authority are the valid sources of knowledge" - P.R. Sarkar

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