Sunday, June 17, 2018

Consensus

"There is consensus among economists. Therefore, they are right."
Nobody would say that, would they? And yet, almost every time I read something, I find consensus among economists used as part of the argument.

Despite what we seem to think, a consensus is not right by definition. Anyway, a consensus is a shared opinion, not a shared fact.

I think there is general agreement on that.

1 comment:

The Arthurian said...

Syll, quoting Paul Rosenbaum:
"Knowing the current consensus is helpful in forecasting a vote; having substantial evidence​ is helpful in judging what​ is true. That something is standardly believed or assumed is not, by itself, a reason to believe or assume it."