July 09, 2026

S4 E36 Appeal to Authority: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions

1 hour 15 minutes

In this episode of Turfgrass Epistemology, we examine Stanley Milgram's classic paper, Behavioral Study of Obedience (1963), and explore how authority influences our beliefs and decisions. Why do turf managers, consultants, and consumers often accept claims because a professor, university, or industry expert said them? Learn how the logical fallacy of Appeal to Authority can lead us to substitute credentials for evidence—and why scientific claims should be evaluated by data, not status.

Paper Discussed:

Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral Study of Obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67, 371–378.

#AppealToAuthority #StanleyMilgram #CriticalThinking #LogicalFallacies #TurfgrassEpistemology #Science #EvidenceBasedManagement #GolfCourseManagement #Agronomy #Skepticism

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Turfgrass Programs and Extension Service Information:

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Diagnostic Criteria for Turfgrass Bullshit Disorder:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y_GeVPQ237pzm0ImTP4eVij6I9D0PHPn/view

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By Travis Shaddox

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