When we write papers, we’re told to never express our own opinions unless they are backed up by solid facts and evidence. We turn to the library, inhaling every that contains our usually vague key word, searching frantically for anything that agrees with our point.
These, however, include other authors’ opinions, renamed “testimony” to sound like a more reliable source. True, some support their opinion of why they think Elizabeth Bennet is actually in love with Mr. Darcy with actual factual evidence, later re-quoted in our own papers.
But, really, a lot of the time, we will take what another author has said and use it to support our point, using borrowed ethos to make our papers and arguments sound more reliable and trustworthy.
But is this borrowed ethos really a reliable resource? Well, in a way, yes. Not every resource is going to be a very detailed scatter plot graph of the number of times Elizabeth mentions love in relation to Darcy for each chapter and then charting the path to their eternal love, no. Yes, this person agrees with us, yes, we may take their argument a little out of context to make it fit into ours, but by using borrowed ethos we can make our papers and arguments stronger.
The authors of these essays and texts are experts in their field. They know their shit. Now, if someone wanted to quote one of my papers, I feel that their paper wouldn’t be as accurate or reliable. But testimony from an expert is a reliable resource.
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