I have coined the term “automatic credibility” to refer to the tendency to accept as fact a questionable statement made by a person, even if they person does not produce definite evidence to support his claim. Most people would grant automatic credibility to their parents, close friends, or a religious leader in his chosen faith. But as a Honorable Skeptic, my ideal would be to grant to NO ONE that privilege and to regard all claims by all people with equal suspicion. In a court of law, in a science journal, and in diplomatic dealings between nations, automatic credibility is usually not an issue. Nor should it be with anyone, about anything. If we could achieve this goal, a lot of lying, cheating, and backstabbing in things like politics would end.
Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants 