Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
This is a logical fallacy. Just because a scientist or group of scientists have been wrong in the past does not mean they are wrong now. Just because a group of scientists have been RIGHT in the past does not mean they are right now.
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I wonder if this fallacy occurs all too often because many people too put too much emphasis on the fact that they're scientists (I think the common name is Appeal to Authority). Just because someone says it and work in the field, it's taken for gospel. Then, when conflicting reports and proofs of the contrary come in, people start to doubt any authority that the organization has, despite that process being perfectly natural.