Accepted Quote by D. A. Carson
“Authority can mean different things to different people. For example, some document or other may be authoritative for particular group even though it's not reliable. It's just that the group has accepted that document as authoritative for their group. And some documents are truthful and reliable but they are ignored, so they have no authority for that particular group.”
About This Quote
Source Book: "Authority and Truth in Communities", 2018
Authority is socially constructed; a group may accept a document as authoritative despite unreliability, while reliable sources can be ignored.
In simple terms: Authority depends on group acceptance, not just truth.
Key Takeaway
Evaluate sources critically.
Themes
authority
truth
group dynamics
reliability
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
philosophical
critical
educational
When to use this quote
- academic research
- policy making
- news consumption
- online forums
Key Concepts
social construction
bias
information ecology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you verify a source’s credibility?
- What happens when reliable information is dismissed?
A Different Perspective
Reliance on accepted authority can hinder truth‑seeking and critical thinking.
![“We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. [This is] mythology rather than science.” quote by Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c31/robert-shapiro-26969_accepted_we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theo_19120.jpg)
