My surprise on authority

Asking questions fascinates me, and can find am surprised at answers. Where recently wondered to myself, what is authority?

However, rest of it is, wanted what I call a functional answer, as before thought I knew what it was. But with a functional definition the pressure is different and the answer was more compact than I expected--even though knew functional answers usually are--and came to me more quickly than I expected.

I concluded that functionally authority relative to one entity is when some other entity has information needed.

Like with medical authority, a person can need the knowledge of a medical practitioner which in my country is usually a doctor, who has been thoroughly trained in the needed knowledge. That is so important, it is legally enforced that to claim medical knowledge needed by others a person has to have proof.

Find myself reaching for examples, as worked to understand. It just seems so short, and wondered how could include political or police authority, and realized those are based on knowledge needed as well. Like a lawyer must have extensive knowledge of the law, and a police officer must have the required knowledge to make a legal arrest, while a judge must have needed knowledge as well to adjudicate.

All have needed knowledge relative to a defendant who is under their authority.

Oh yeah, but what about political authority? Reality is, knowing how to convince people to elect you can get you places where people can question if you have the needed knowledge.

Functionally, at least in my country for most positions considered political, getting elected requires knowing how to get elected, which to me shows maybe found limits or maybe just don't want to think about much for this post.

Practically that functional approach helped me out immensely, as yes I have ideas, but realized had appealed to establishment authority, as I should in the past. When surprised at the response, like with my math ideas, concluded appropriately I should question my results, and reconsider their value.

Which is the short version, not talking about so much else emotional! Let's just say I wasn't exactly happy with certain things and expressed myself, but for a long time was focused on getting establishment authority to recognize certain things I'd found or found out. Now over two decades later for one thing, and well over a decade with several others, do like my process.

Often I'd simply dismiss. Which to me is a good idea if you think you have valuable ideas! Try to just dismiss and walk away if the establishment does not concur.

Reality is that humanity has learned much over thousands of years, and even in recent fields, dedicated efforts to learn over decades among a group of establishment experts is vastly more likely to be correct than the musings of one particular person, especially one who lacks that training!

Good news with correct and valuable information is that it does not care what we think of it. Like proof that someone committed a crime? Is not necessarily liked, especially not by that person.

However, what people pay attention to? Can make a HUGE difference as to whether or not proof is evaluated, whatever the area.

And the web simplified my life there in certain ways. Yeah have an evolved perspective, where it DOES help when have spent years trying to process attention which web enabled.

I could put information on the web, and check to see if drew attention, which is not proof in and of itself but can be indications of authority, which again functionally I now see as knowledge needed.

Web authority then draws on the power of the vast number of human connections that make up the web, and as the years have gone by have grown to appreciate how shifts how authority operates.

In our times, political authorities talk to constituencies through the web, which is neutral in and of itself, as some for good, and others for things I'd personally say are wrong. Even medical authority can find the web is important for distributing medical information. Where of course you need to have reputable sources.

And web authority is so much about the source for that information.

Reality is that much of web authority by my functional definition, is in connecting a person with needed knowledge that is correct. Cool.

Oh yeah, was asking myself some questions--now answered. Is my process, you know?

Writing a blog post focuses the mind certain ways, and making it public? Then I edit and refine, feeling the pressure of that attention, which for me?

Is usually global.


James Harris