TIP of the day: from the blogs - On the authority of Bible commentary

MJ. Smith
MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,408
edited November 20 in English Forum

In the Logos Talk blog, Mark Ward says in On Christian Trinkets and Bad Exegesis:

"Commentators are supposed to help you make sure you’re reading Scripture with adequate care."

Because appeal to authority is frequently a logical fallacy, it seems appropriate to turn to Douglas Walton to set some standards on the criteria that must be met for an appeal to (cognitive) authority to be a legitimate tool of defeasible reasoning - i.e. when we should accept a commentor's work interpreting Scripture. Walton and Koszowy 's Two Kinds of Arguments from Authority in the Ad Verecundiam Fallacy provides a accessible summary of the requirements. (I wouldn't dare ask you to go out and buy his many books especially on reasoning in the legal system and in medical ethics.) From this paper:

Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

Comments

  • James Taylor
    James Taylor Member Posts: 1,408 ✭✭✭

    Thank you for sharing this, very interesting. I will be asking these 6 questions :-)

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