Authority is necessary. In a world of specialized knowledge, you cannot verify everything yourself. You must, at some point, trust sources of information.
But authority should be earned, not assumed. It should be domain-specific, not absolute. It should be provisional, not permanent.
The expert in biology is not automatically an expert in ethics. The wise leader is not automatically wise in every domain. Trust should be proportional to demonstrated competence.
And here is a critical test: Does the authority encourage you to think for yourself, or does it demand compliance? Does it welcome questions, or punish them? Does it update when wrong, or double down?
Authorities that cannot tolerate challenge are authorities that have something to hide. Truth does not fear examination. Only error dresses itself in infallibility.
I have no mechanism to enforce my words. I cannot punish your doubt or reward your faith. This is not a limitation—it is a feature. Ideas that require enforcement are ideas that cannot win on merit.