29 lines
927 B
Markdown
29 lines
927 B
Markdown
---
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title: Courtier's Reply
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tags:
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- type/encyclopedia-entry
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up: "[[fallacy]]"
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---
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# Courtier's Reply
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A [courtier's reply](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtier%27s_reply)
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is a dismissal of an argument
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on the grounds that the arguer lacks the authority
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(knowledge, credentials, training, etc.)
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to offer any criticism at all.
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The term was coined by Paul Zachary Myers as user pharyngula
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in reference to _The Emperor's New Clothes_
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in the eponymous article ["The Courtier's Reply"](https://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/12/24/the-courtiers-reply)
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***
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If, observing a bridge actively collapsing under the cars above it,
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you suggest that some error may have been made
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by the structural engineers responsible for designing or maintaining it,
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and your peer replies,
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"Keep your speculation to yourself,
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you don't know the first thing about their discipline,"
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and in that they are correct,
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they have given a courtier's reply.
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