An appeal to authority doesn't mean the claimed authority is wrong. It's just a weak (non-rigorous) form of argument.
I used to scoff at people who'd say "you can't understand X because you haven't lived it." I'd counter that a) I'm smart, and b) I have a good imagination. The thing is, as I've gained experience, I've realized that while I was correct in a very narrow sense, I was also missing something important.
If you're smart, and you can learn from experience, you're unlikely to think in 20 years as you do now, on a whole range of issues. It's a very interesting process to go through, if you're paying attention. The effect is real.
I used to scoff at people who'd say "you can't understand X because you haven't lived it." I'd counter that a) I'm smart, and b) I have a good imagination. The thing is, as I've gained experience, I've realized that while I was correct in a very narrow sense, I was also missing something important.
If you're smart, and you can learn from experience, you're unlikely to think in 20 years as you do now, on a whole range of issues. It's a very interesting process to go through, if you're paying attention. The effect is real.