Break Free from Authority: Teach Kids to Think for Themselves

Logic Fallacies Series #2

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." ~Albert Einstein

Our society expects children to “behave”

But “behaving” children grow into adults who blindly trust anyone in authority

Teach your kids to think for themselves by teaching them Logic

Logical Fallacy Series #2: Break free from Authority

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." ~Albert Einstein

This is the second in a series on logical fallacies. If you missed #1, you’ll find it HERE.

Appeal to Authority Fallacy

Authority fallacy, also known as the appeal to authority, is a logical fallacy that occurs when an argument relies on the opinion or authority of a person or source, rather than on evidence or valid reasoning. This fallacy assumes that because someone is considered an expert or an authority in a particular field, their opinions or statements must be true or accurate. This can extend to topics outside their area of expertise.

Examples of the authority fallacy you might have heard

1. "The renowned historian stated that this version of history is accurate, so there's no need to question it."

2. "The doctor on my morning show confirmed that this is the latest health trend, so it's definitely worth trying."

3. The famous actress uses this skincare product, so it's bound to make your skin flawless."

4. "My parents always used this method, so it's the only way to do it."

5. "The coach of the winning team said that this training regimen is the secret to success, so we should follow it."

Our society, generally expects children to “behave” or do as their parent or teacher asks them. While every person (adult or child) is worthy of respect, it is also important to foster a child’s inner voice so “behaving” children do not grow up to be adults who blindly trust anyone in authority.

Imagine children who treat everyone with respect but question information given to them. Let’s talk about how to build this type of logical reasoning into kids’ lives.

Grammar Age (5-9 years old)

1. The Emperor’s New Clothes (Hans Christen Anderson): Kids at this age still learn best through story. In this story, the weavers play a trick on the Emperor by saying they have created a magical fabric that can only be seen by the wise and competent. The Emperor wanting to be seen as wise trusts the weaver’s authority. Later, the Emperor’s staff also say they see the fabric because the Emperor says he sees it. While reading this story, ask children if the fabric is real. Ask them what evidence the Emperor and the staff are using to decide that the fabric is real? How else might they decide if it’s real? They should say things like test it or drop food on it. Let the be creative here! The story ends by a child pointing out that the Emperor is naked! This makes is PERFECT for kids because the hero that saw through the fallacy was a child showing that children can be just as wise as adults, maybe smarter, if they follow logic.

2. Role Play: Set up a role play scenario where one kid uses their “authority” as a king/queen, teacher, or doctor to get the other kids to do something they don’t want to do. Let the other kids run away or stand up to the authority. Encourage the kids to question the authority asking them hard questions and consider other factors before making a decision.

3. Encourage Independent Thinking and Curiosity: Foster an environment where kids feel comfortable expressing their opinions and questioning statements. Encourage them to think for themselves rather than blindly accepting what someone says just because they're an authority. This includes YOU! It is perhaps most important that kids feel that they can question your statements. Treat their questions with respect. Explain your position. If you can’t, well then maybe YOU have fallen victim to a logical fallacy. It’s OK to be wrong and it’s great for you kids to see how you accept that you were wrong and change your mind. THAT is part of the logic process.

Logic Age (10-13 years old)

1. Look for Evidence: Kids at this age are ready to start building their own logical arguments. Start by making a claim “The earth is round” or if you are being mischievous, “The earth is flat”. Ask kids to argue for or against these with research or information not derived from an expert. Side note, you can do some fun experiments to show the earth is round if you want to bring some science in!

2. Discuss Different Experts: Introduce kids to the idea that not all experts agree on everything. Show them that even experts can have different opinions or interpretations. For instance, when discussing a scientific topic, you can mention that there are debates among scientists, and it's important to understand different perspectives. Good examples include: AI (good or dangerous), Pyramids (historians disagree on how they were built and even how old they are), and Diets (vegan, carnivore etc.). If you feel comfortable with it, include social media influencers on opposite ends of a debate; vegan, carnivore diets are a easy example.

3. Compare Sources/Introduce Media Literacy: When looking at information online or in books, encourage kids to compare different sources. Explain that not all sources are equally trustworthy. Further, just because something is published by a credible source doesn’t mean that it is correct. As a scientist, I regularly disagree with the conclusions of my colleagues. There are many ways to interpret data. Highlight times in the past where data has been flawed. Recent examples include: depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance, red wine does not protect the heart, and Alzheimer’s is not caused by plagues. Discuss the impact of these fallacies being perpetuated for so long. For example, millions were likely misdiagnosed and science was put behind decades.

Rhetoric Age (14-18+ years old)

1. Debate: At this age, kids need to be going deeper. They need to be forming their own arguments and practice defending those arguments. Do mini-debates (can be written if kids don’t like oral presentations) where students have to defend their own opinion on a topic without using an expert authority. This is fun to do with a commonly held belief, especially one that everyone takes for granted. “The earth goes around the sun” “You need 8 hours of sleep a night”. Be sure to go back and forth such that students must defend their ideas.

2. Use Multiple Sources: Show kids that relying on a single source isn't enough. When researching a topic, encourage them to seek information from multiple sources and perspectives. Better yet, have students write a report with a specific set of sources. After they are completed, give them equally credible sources that say the exact opposite. Ask students if they changed their mind and how do they reconcile this new information with the old.

3. Historical Examples: Share historical examples of times when people blindly followed authority figures and the consequences that resulted. Discuss how critical thinking and questioning could have led to better outcomes.

4. Media Literacy: We introduced this topic in middle school but it should be hammered home here. Have kids read original sources of information, example a scientific paper, and then have them watch what the news says about it. Ask if they did a good or poor job of describing the paper. Also play a game where students watch news/social media segments and have them spot when they are using the authority fallacy by relying on experts without providing substantial evidence to back up claims. This will happen more often than you think

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." ~Albert Einstein

Help kids think for themselves and they will find the truth.

~Claire Honeycutt aka Hippy Mom

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If you enjoyed this post, you might like the 3rd in the series👇