Can we rely on debunkers?

Can no one have any training which would equip them to know more than the anyone else on a given subject?
i think the point is, a person is either right (qualified or not) or wrong. If you and I say the exact same thing, you being 'qualified' doesn't make you more right than me.
 
i think the point is, a person is either right (qualified or not) or wrong. If you and I say the exact same thing, you being 'qualified' doesn't make you more right than me.

Of course it doesn't, but it makes one opinion more likely to be right than the other. It is a common CT belief that anybody's opinion is as valid as any other. It just isn't true.
 
Most debunkers are not scientifically qualified to make these debunking claims and have to come onto a forum to do so .

I don't think anyone here is asking you to believe something because they are "qualified". You are always encouraged to verify things for yourself.

Some people have expertise in various fields, but they should never make statements that you can't check yourself.
 
My neighbor, who struggled to finish high school, over 50 years ago,
has plenty of unsolicited health advice for me (and everyone else).

I tend, however, to give much greater weight to the views of my personal physician,
who has graduated from prestigious medical institutions in the last generation,
and continues to operate a successful GP practice.

Now, that is no guarantee that any particular piece of advice my doctor gives me
is infallible, optimal, or even a good idea.
But the claim that my neighbor's views are equally likely to be good medical advice
--merely because she has opinions and is breathing--just isn't sensible.
"Qualified" can be useful, but as a relative term...it doesn't mean infallible.
 
that anybody's opinion is as valid as any other.
Perhaps opinion is not the best word? I have opinions on many things.

I do think that everyone's opinion deserves as much consideration as the next person, but some opinions are based on facts, whereas others are based on preconceived notions?

Is there another word that might be better?
 
What do you think the word "qualified" means, then? Can no one have any training which would equip them to know more than the anyone else on a given subject?



Religious training is not the same thing as scientific training. Evidence about God is debatable, at best.

Being "qualified" as you say does not make the opinion any less credible.

Religious training is not the same thing as scientific training. Evidence about God is debatable, at best.
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Agreed. But at best any theory is debatable. And that theory is open to both "qualified" or "unqualified" persons.
 
Perhaps opinion is not the best word? I have opinions on many things.

I do think that everyone's opinion deserves as much consideration as the next person, but some opinions are based on facts, whereas others are based on preconceived notions?

Is there another word that might be better?
If some opinions are based on facts, and others merely prejudice or uninformed opinion
(or from someone with a long history of spouting misinformation) why do those opinions
"deserves as much consideration"?
 
My neighbor, who struggled to finish high school, over 50 years ago,
has plenty of unsolicited health advice for me (and everyone else).

I tend, however, to give much greater weight to the views of my personal physician,
who has graduated from prestigious medical institutions in the last generation,
and continues to operate a successful GP practice.

Now, that is no guarantee that any particular piece of advice my doctor gives me
is infallible, optimal, or even a good idea.
But the claim that my neighbor's views are equally likely to be good medical advice
--merely because she has opinions and is breathing--just isn't sensible.
"Qualified" can be useful, but as a relative term...it doesn't mean infallible.

"Qualified" can be useful, but as a relative term...it doesn't mean infallible.
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Exactly! Thank you.
 
If some opinions are based on facts, and others merely prejudice or uninformed opinion
(or from someone with a long history of spouting misinformation) why do those opinions
"deserves as much consideration"?
did I miss a memo? since when has debunking been about opinions?
 
did I miss a memo? since when has debunking been about opinions?
It's not, or at least it shouldn't be. Opinions (IMO, IMHO, AFAIK) are used quite often in debunking speculation threads. There are opinions rooted in truth as well, not just "speculation". Sometimes opinions mixed with facts allows certain people to understand the subject much better. IMO, opinions are weighted as well, and not with respect to credentials or their standing in society, but based on their expertise and opinions related to their expertise.
 
Most debunkers are not scientifically qualified to make these debunking claims and have to come onto a forum to do so .

Which makes most debunkers just as qualified as the people they are debunking, and the forums at about the same level - so what's eth problem?? :)
 
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