billswift comments on Argument Screens Off Authority - Less Wrong

35 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 14 December 2007 12:05AM

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Comment author: billswift 14 December 2007 02:50:11PM 5 points [-]

Part of the problem is that "authority" conflates two distinct ideas. The first is "justified use of coercion" as when the government is referred to as "the authorities". The second is as a synonym for expertise. The two are united in parents but otherwise distinct. It may be useful to do as I have in my notes and avoid using "authority" when "expertise" is what is meant, at least it reduces the confusion a little.