[DEADMINCE]

> Argument from authority is a logical fallacy.

Only when the authority isn't authoritative.

Authority is not inherently bad, and in some cases what an authority recommends is going to be significantly better than whatever conclusion an individual comes to via their 'enlightenment'.

Maybe you're smart and great at critical thinking and have a high level of self-confidence that you could investigate an issue and reach the right, or at least a good enough conclusion, but I don't think that's true for most people.

[Loquebantur]

It's certainly not true for the "authorities" in question here. Meaning, they indeed aren't "authoritative", as you would have it.

You essentially refuse to seriously check for that. I guess, because you have so little confidence in what your peers would do if they found out?

Authoritativeness isn't reliably conveyed ex officio. Putting your head in the sand isn't a solution for that.

[DEADMINCE]

> It's certainly not true for the "authorities" in question here. Meaning, they indeed aren't "authoritative", as you would have it.

Weird use of scarequotes. And yeah, no one is claiming the person who wrote the opinion is an authority. You made a generalization though, and that's what I was responding to.

> I guess, because you have so little confidence in what your peers would do if they found out?

Found out what? I don't even have confidence that most of my "peers" would think it's important to check in the first place.